End of the Year Analysis

As the end of the year approaches, I look back and realize it was a pretty good year for music. Many good releases came out, some higher profiled than others, and personally I expanded my boundaries exponentially. It always feels good to listen to some music that hurts at first but then becomes familiar and pleasing. The initial pain is only that of the mind stretching out of its boundaries. Below is my top ten albums of the year (in order) and some other odds an ends.

 

*This list was so hard because each album on the top ten practically encapsulated my musical ears for some slot of time in the year 2008. I included some EPs even though they are not full length releases. Too many EPs impressed me this year to not let them be on the list.

Top Ten List of 2008

1. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely

Jack White. Enough said. But I can go on. Recorded in Nashville, this lo-fi rock band took their jamming skills to a whole new level, capturing the raw feel of a real band. Using no computers during the recording process, Jack White and Brendan Benson take their band to a whole new level. It is obvious to see that the band has gotten more comfortable with each other as their CD tends to sound more like a jam than a planned out record. With catchy and quick simple songs and a mix of more intricate songs with horns, keys, and fiddle, The Raconteurs write songs with meaningful lyrics, rockin' instruments and some a little story telling, for flavor. Combine all of these elements and The Raconteurs release the best album of the year.

2. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

One of the most interesting albums from a major record label artist. I can't say enough about the production vale especially after listening to their first record. The quality jumps tremendously thanks to David Fridmann, who also produced the Flaming Lips. Looking forward to see what else this duo can do in the future.

3. The Killers - Day and Age

With the addition of worldly instruments and a brass section, The Killers come out with an equally different album like as Sam's Town was. While overall it is not their best effort, it is such a beautiful stab at something new, one at which they pull off pretty well.

4. Thrice - The Alchemy Index 3 & 4

This half of a 4 part concept recording stands out just a little more than the previous half. This truly shows off Thrice's song-writing ability as well as their ability to move in completely new directions. With substantial lyrics and exploration of new musical feels, Thrice scores big.

5. Kanye West - 808's and Heartbreaks

Wait.... A truly mainstream rap artist has substance in his lyrics? Impossible, but Kanye did it. And to top it all off, it was super catchy and even though he used Autotune..... he sang the majority of the record instead of rapping it. This album is practically a completely new genre, not just for Kanye but for pop music in general.

6. The Avett Brothers - Second Gleam EP

In their last effort before landing in the hands of Rick Rubin, The Avetts craft up a handful of songs that show off their naked song writing talent and ability to write from meaningful past experiences. Lets hope this type of honesty and production does not change with the addition of major label support.

7. Astronautalis - Pomegranate 

This guy puts most mainstream rappers to shame. By implementing folk aspects into this record with a crazy knack for getting great drum sounds, this guy released one of the best kept secret albums of 2008.

8. Apes and Androids - Blood Moon

How have these guys not already blown up? In a random PureVolume search for music, I stumbled across these guys and enjoyed their very fresh sound. It stuck with me for so long, longer than expected, and somehow made the top ten list. Definitively, the most creative record of the year.

9. Little Joy - Little Joy

This cute and short CD is strictly a great indie/folk record. The vibes coming off this album are just so uplifting its hard not to sing along and possibly even dance a bit. I hope these band continues even if Strokes' duties call Fabrizio Moretti away.

10. Kopecky Family Band - Embraces EP

A band that is not even out of college yet. Their dualistic vocals and amazing song-writing allow for the audience to be captivated in their amazing folk rock five song EP. The only question is when do they record more and how do I get a hold of it?

Honorable Mentions 

Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Beck - Modern Guilt

Old Crow Medicine Show - Tennessee Pusher

Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger

Panic at the Disco - Pretty. Odd.

Noah and the Whale - Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down

Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter III

Notable (Yet smaller) Artists of 2008

Judd and Maggie

Into It. Over It.

The Morning Of

David Mead

Mugison

Johnny Flynn

Biggest Disappointments 

Metallica

Weezer

Guns N' Roses

Coldplay

Ben Folds

Best Books I've Read This Year

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

The Alchemist by Paul Coehlo

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

The Reason for God by Timothy Keller

The Mysterious Brandon Flowers

Sampling the critics' reviews from The Killer's sophomore album, Sam's Town, you would think Brandon Flowers was a mysterious lyrical illusionist. And that The Killers best work had already been done in Hot Fuss. In my opinion, both claims would be false, but that is not our subject today. On a rare Monday release, The Killers gave us Day and Age, a  new and ridiculous musical collection that gets better every time I listen. 

Not only does this album field a couple songs waiting to be hit singles, it also can hold its weight all the way through. While one song in the middle drags a hair, other songs such as Spaceman and Neon Tiger clearly make up for the brief drop in pace. Overall, The Killers return to Hot Fuss stylistically, but take their music to new heights. Since their style is usually so over the top anyways, this seems surprising, but with the addition of a few saxophone solos and some world music elements, The Killers make this the most grandiose record of their day.

The lyrics, as always, seem to confuse me a little bit, with Flowers having the same lyrical style as always. While some songs seem to question mankind's existence with a bit of existentialism, others lose me quicker than they begin. 

Nonetheless, The Killers are back to their old tricks, adding new ones to their bag. As I sit here watching them play live on Fuse, my faith in their song writing abilities, production, and a knack for the 80's reel me in just as all of their material has and probably will continue to.

Key Tracks

Spaceman

Neon Tiger

This is Your Life

Stars

4 out of 5

Holiday Cheer

As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, I have many things to be thankful for. This semester, while unimaginably busy, has been quite an exhilarating time for me. My relationships have grown bountifully. My financial situation is better than ever and my studies are going better than expected. About the only aspect of my life that has been going poorly is my sleeping time. There is always a price to pay for your gains in life.

Today, I ventured into a Nashville mall. This is certainly a rarity for me as I don't shop much, don't like large masses of people, and am usually to busy to waste my time at such a destination. I came out of the mall feeling slightly annoyed by the Holiday Spirit that was everywhere. I love the Holidays, they mean a lot to me. They also seem to mean a lot to everyone else, but perhaps for a different reason. Preface this trip with the fact that I am already upset by all types of Christmas decorations and music going on BEFORE Thanksgiving (even some before Halloween wrapped up), and I left the mall one unhappy camper. The mall is heaven for the consumer. And a deathtrap for me. So many people throwing their money at the latest trend. So many people diluting the Charlie Brown sponsored message of Christmas. So many people being selfish and over indulgent for the obtainment of material possessions. I don't enjoy ranting on a topic or bringing people down for their personal characteristics, but I could not escape the greed and self desire that almost suffocated me today. Certainly, I have so many things I could do without, and I recognize my fortune, but I just wish some others would try to show a little restraint in their lifestyles.

Look forward to a review of either the Kanye or The Killers CD's that hit shelves tomorrow.

Links

Don Miller Blog

Unforgivable # Who Knows

Waiting for Septembeard!

In September we have a delictable selection of releases all of which I will be discussing here. 

Look for:

Metallica the 12th. 

Ben Folds the 16th.

and of the course the long awaited Jack's Mannequin the 30th.

Until then.

"Like a rolling thunder tent revival revue, the Avetts are a force of nature...get down and shout glory hallelujah"

With one last release before they join the major label game, the Avett Brothers lay upon us a simple, six song EP. While having little of the production or flair of 2007's Emotionalism, the Second Gleam offers a taste of what the Avett Brothers really are: two guys from the same family who have a knack for writing poignant yet simple songs that stick with you for longer than you'd expect.

The song writing efforts on this EP are extremely well done. Only employing guitars, a banjo, and sometimes a piano, this is Avett stripped to the bare bone. Bassist Bob Crawford does not even appear on the release and most songs find a slow rolling groove, similar to a calm river. With the songwriting focused on telling stories, whether it be a lover, a car, or family dynamics, the Avett Brothers shed light mainly on their thoughts; nothing more and nothing less. 

The sonic quality is naturally less of what I would like it to be. It's easy to tell this was not their goal in recording this EP. The vocals are a little mushy, even naturally and beautifully out of tune (a rare find in the days of Autotune). Often, I find that the guitars sound more polished than the vocals and it would be very interesting to know more about the studio techniques that led them to this overall sound.

Overall, Avett strikes again, in a way much differently than anticipated, but nevertheless again. With a major record deal and Rick Rubin by their side, big things will be expected from Avett on their next full length release, which they are currently working on. For now though, we have this simple and relaxing reminder of Avett's potential with so little. With Emotionalism being an example of what Avett is capable of doing with full production and more ornamentation, the Second Gleam offers us a taste and a reminder that at the core, Avett's songs are written soundly, melodically, and simply. And I can't think of a better way for them to be written.

Key Tracks

Tear Down the House

If I Get Murdered in the City

Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Links

Jack's Mannequin

Everybody Get DANGERous!

From getting a job (Half Price Books) to going to Bonnaroo, I have had little time to even begin listening or thinking about reviewing the new Weezer disc. On top of that, I feel that a band as important as Weezer deserves more than just the typical quick review that are given to other albums in order to get them out as soon as possible. Weezer, love, hate, or indifferent, can and should be argued as one of the most important post grunge 90's rock band for two reasons: The Blue Album and Pinkerton. The Blue Album, a commercial and critical success, while Pinkerton a more underground DIY legend, single handily (or double) put Weezer into rock legend status. Influential for all the whiny emo kids (Dashboard) and the DIY folks (Jack White), these two albums are highly important for the 1990's rock scene and beyond. After these two, Weezer seemed to drop off, arguably never to be the same. While I thoroughly enjoy Maladroit, it is no Blue or Pinkerton for sure. Some Weezer purists will never touch any record besides the first two. Make Believe and The Green Album were not bad per-say, just a disappointing effort for the Cuomo camp. Even with this said, I feel there is always hope in every Weezer's fans heart that there next album will return to undeniable greatness. 

This being said I needed to let the album thoroughly marinate in the my mind, read other reviews (Rolling Stone, Paste, and AllMusic.com), debate with friends and take into full account the opinions of the Weezer purists I know personally. Along with a trip to Bonnaroo, this has been why it has taken me a while to fully come out with a decision and it's still mixed feelings a little. Luckily, I have come to a more definite conclusion than what I began with.

The aptly titled Red Album is pretty standard post-Pinkerton Weezer material. With a knack for writing poppy hooks, the band fills it in with crunchy guitars and simple drumming techniques. While many songs catch your attention, the album still seems lacking. It's certainly hard to put my finger on it, and maybe I am simply setting Weezer up with too high of standards. The songs are certainly pop laden, but maybe too much so, following more in the footsteps of Make Believe rather than the Blue Album. It just does not have the same artistic quality of the Blue Album, yet strives for a more overall catchy sound.

The one thing that bothers me most is the ever simplified production of Rick Rubin. While a musical genius in his early years, his music has reached a sort of predictable dullness. Either he is getting too lazy or just too busy with multiple projects to truly care about each record individually. Coming from Pinkerton which is one of the most raw, well produced, and dynamic record of our age, I feel cheated hearing such a bland Weezer album. The guitar tones are crisp and distorted, the overall tone full of too much high end. It seems almost positively that this was solely recorded digitally because it lacks the air and mid range punch of any analog techniques. It simply makes me frustrated to know their potential, yet not hearing it. 

Lyrically, Weezer has seemed to fall into a mid life cheesiness that looks for jokes, references, and tongue in cheek style to prevail. While this may work for some, I fail to connect as well to this style as many others. Melodically, Rivers cannot be faulted as this is just slightly less catchy than Make Believe. Many songs have potential for single status and in a geeky way (true to Weezer) many of the songs are lighthearted and fun felt. In one way, Weezer has returned to its pop roots very well, it just forgot the other half of Weezer somewhere in the 90's.

Overall, the record is mediocre, especially compared to where they could be. Maybe it's just me with high standards and a preset view of where Weezer needs to be. Nonetheless, I cannot see myself enjoying much more than a few tracks occasionally on this record. While lacking the overall body of work that I enjoy and sounding just like every other recently produced Rubin album, I am sad to say Weezer has left me disappointed again. I hope this changes in the latter stages of my listening.

Key Tracks

Everybody Get Dangerous

Dreamin'

Rating

2.5 out of 5 Stars

Links

A different viewpoint

Walter E. Williams

Lucky to have been where I have been.

With Jason Mraz's new CD, We Dance. We Sing. We Steal Things, many questions were posed (and answered) about where he was heading musically and lyrically. Known for his acoustic guitar laden pop songs, he produces yet another quality album that certainly expands on his previous releases. His light hearted lyrical persuasions and mellow guitars are filled in by entire horn sections, keys/organs and some strings on many tracks as well as an unexpected rhythm and bass pad in the "The Dynamo of Volition". While trying to expand from the typical one guy with an acoustical guitar singing about a girl label, Mraz takes his tracks well into a new area with a more full production while keeping more of the same mellow and lighthearted songs.

Mraz's song structures remain simple, his guitar parts light. But as he had stated before the release, Mraz adds horns and an assortment of keys to give a couple of the tracks a dancey, disco feel. With the addition of children's chorus in the lead single "I'm Yours" (a track he has played for some time live, but until now has not been added it to an album) Mraz's  work comes out as a more full band effort with very few tracks focusing on his guitar work alone. By adding a duet with Colbie Caillat and James Morrison, Mraz, or Atlantic, makes great choices with other hot artists on the popular and underground level in order to possibly make Jason Mraz return to his fame of Waiting for My Rocket to Come. "Lucky" featuring Caillat, is one of the standout tracks for the whole album and has to be a great choice for the second single. Overall, the musical aspects of this record still give Mraz a nice full sound without returning to the more pop, synthesized sound of Mr. A to Z. While this album sounds more mature, I can't say either sound is better,  but both albums are a departure from the simplicity of Mraz with only his guitar.

Lyrically, Mraz has his own style of simplicity and ways to talk about some serious topics with very smooth undertones. He touches on the topics of God, his parents divorce, the flaws of the human race, finding yourself, the broken hearted, and luckily, relationships that are seemingly working just great. All of this said, his tone and atmosphere are very light and he finds ways to never make his songs sound too terribly serious, no matter the topic. He still has a few songs that are seemingly about nothing, just a good time with good music. "The Dynamo of Volition" is a great case because it is simply a feel good song, with Mraz with his quick tongue rambling from topic to topic.  Melody is not as strong or as catchy as his previous releases, but could be associated as a trade for a more mature sound, and it works well. With enough songs that are easily accessible to all fans, the other songs are left to allow for a deeper meaning to the entire album.

On a production front, I applaud Mraz for being versatile enough to add so many different instruments to his sound and make this more than just another Jack Johnson mellow acoustical guitar album. Otherwise, I find the overall sonic quality bland and not very adventurous, but for a pop album I guess it will be a hit with the audience, the record producer, and label alike. While not as bass heavy and produced as his last album, nor as acoustic as his first album, his third release finds a nice happy medium between both sounds.

Overall the album is pretty good. It's what would be expected from Mraz. A proven songwriter, he has the ability to pen some great single type songs, as well as others that are enjoyable on other levels. His expansion to a multitude of different sounds show that he is definitely growing as an artist and this album is very enjoyable to listen to. I look for "Lucky" to have a huge hit potential for Mraz but I hope that the public has not already written him off as a one hit wonder. 

Key Tracks

I'm Yours

Lucky

Live High

The Dynamo of Volition

Star Rating 3.5 out of 5

The (Overused and Overworked) Black Swan.

After a dismal showing of their sophomore album, Story of the Year left their major record label Maverick, in favor of the more independent feel of Epitaph Records. After five years of being with Maverick, and one major success with Page Avenue, the parted ways was a result not really being able to follow up with another commercially successful album. While I enjoyed many of the songs featured on In the Wake of Determination (in sort of junior high, anthem, me-against-them way), Story of the Year was not able to rally the support of media outlets such as popular rock radio or MTV and therefore felt a huge drop in sales. What worked about their first two albums for me was the band's ability to write catchy, fist pumping anthems. Certainly not the most musically viable songs, or the most meaningful and deep, but a pleasure to me nonetheless. That being said, I had minimal expectations for the new record released on April 22nd. So in a way SOTY did not really fail me. I had low expectations and they delivered (not a good thing).

The music on this record is much harder, heavier, and obviously not as commercially acceptable. This is all fine. The music works well for what it is, something to hype you up and get you ready for action. It is not the smartest album, but the guitar solos are technically good. Musically, I question whether they are trying to do too much i.e. play as fast as possible. The album is not terribly layered with many different sounds. It is a typical rock album: guitars, bass, drums and vocals. It leaves room for experimentation of new sounds but I'm not sure they are that type of band. Unfortunately, I feel the even the sonic quality of the guitars are pretty unadventurous and similar on every track. Overall, the music of this album is mediocre, and definitely nothing I haven't already heard, on their previous albums or any of the other various nu-rock bands that have sprung up in the past decade. 

The lyrics on this record are.... predictable. The war, the environment, President Bush, the end of the world, oppression. Where have i heard this before? Practically every media, music, and film outlet in the past three years. The message of the album is great, but come on, let's be a little more original. I've heard all the criticisms of the government and the world I can take and it is getting old, especially since this is the entire content of the album. The lyrics don't contain anything you can't see at first glance; it all seems pretty shallow to me. Overused metaphors like "the medicine and the disease" in the song The Antidote just seem cheesy these days. Combined with fast, loud guitars, I am sure this album would do something for many people who are looking to be inspired, but not me. Don't get me wrong, it's a great message and I am all for many of the messages they are preaching, but their delivery is very trite. 

The melodies and phrasing of this album are not great either. I can't say they are bad, but mediocrity is the key term here. I can't envision me ever sitting down and listening to this stuff. SOTY lost it's ability to write catchy hooks and even seem to make some really awkward phrasing choices. I'm not sure if they forgot what made them a good band, which was a heavy rhythm section, tasteful and complicated guitar licks, and hooky anthem  melodies, but it sure seems like it.

Overall this album, as said before, is mediocre. The lyrics are predictable, melodies decent, and musical ability shown is little of their capabilities. The album will definitely work for someone who is not looking for something too deep and maybe has not watched the news in the past 5 years and never heard of the Iraq War or other controversial issues of our time, but I try to stay informed. I could never find myself just craving to listen to this CD, but I am sure many people could. So, in my opinion it just does not really build anywhere from their last album and mainly loses qualities I used to enjoy about the band. As they call for the people of America to put more thought into the political, environmental, and social aspects of their lives; I call for Story of the Year to put more thought and originality into their next release.

Key Tracks

Wake Up

The Antidote

2 out of 5 stars

Links

The best band you've never heard of

Pork and Beans?! I sure hope so......

The Music Business..... ahhhhhh!

In my music business survey class, we have began to discuss the future of the industry, where we are, where we are headed, and honestly most of it seems very scary to me. I'm not truly scared scared about my job situation, mostly because it is hard for me to grasp the concept that one day, a soon day, I will be independent from my parents and all my income will be directly related to my skills, networking, and jobs that I create within a constantly morphing industry. Below are some issues with the industry and feel free to leave your thoughts, answers, or questions.

-How do record labels stay relevant and make money in a time when over half of the music acquired is stolen? 

Times are hard for a major record label. They usually spend well over one million dollars per album release and even another million dollars just to develop an act. When an act can only sell say 200,000 records, the record label just breaks even and cannot recoup the hypothetical 2 million dollars spent on that artist's career. 

- The American Public is not the brightest. We buy more online music that is at a lower sonic quality, we constantly take what we are force fed, and overall listen mainly to some of the least talented artists on the block. Can we change our listening habits and move towards a personal discovery based indie system where major record labels are obsolete and all music is independently created, promoted and publicised? This would take away many of the costs of the music business, but the consumers would be relied on to discover their own music, rather than passively allow artists to be advertised to them as strongly as they are today.

-Should all music be free? Some of the music industry has suggested all music would be free to everyone and used as a public promotion tool. This angers others in the industry that see this as cutting of one major source of revenue for an artist, label, and publishers. It's certainly an amazingly progressive and liberal idea, but it could work if other sources of revenue could be found. Other suggestions include a "buffet style" of music consumption, where you pay a monthly fee to the industry and can download and listen to every song in a company's catalogue. 

Who knows really? I will be attending a Digital Summit for the music industry on Tuesday, April 22nd. It will be interesting to be sitting in the same room as many of the big industry players and wondering where our business will be taken. We will discuss, argue, and contemplate new, old, and fresh ideas. The CMT's (yes,the crappy country music television channel) Awards were at Belmont University Monday night. Every major star was here on campus from the country world, and even some unexpected ones like Robert Plant, Sisqo (HA), and Snoop Dog. I will also be at a major record label showcase for Steven Lee Olsen tonight. I hope to meet and mingle with some great people in the business tonight, while seeing how a true artist showcase. It is an interesting time to be at a music school such as Belmont, in a musical and aesthetic town such as Nashville in such a time. Belmont gives me so many opportunities to get insight into the industry, and as long as I take them and use them positively, I will be excited to where they take me. We are ever changing and people are constantly looking to follow the money trail. Hopefully graduating in 2011, I will enter the industry at a great time with new opportunities to succeed and fail as well. The new Thrice album is amazing and look forward to the review later this week. I bought it today at Best Buy in order to support the music industry and show my discontent for ITunes. But that discussion is for another time...

Freakonomics of the Music Industry

Stay Tuned For Thrice.

Previously.....

Once Thrice's new double disc album, the third and fourth part of the Alchemy Index, is released, a review will be posted in a short amount of time. For this review, I will be trying something new. I have collected and printed out all lyrics for this double disc release and therefore will analyze the lyrics even more in depth, not only in context of the song, but as a singular form of art in themselves. Get ready for tomorrow. I'll be picking up the new album around 1 o'clock. I suggest you support the music industry as well as great independently run band and do the same.

Presently.....

Thrice's second half of their four part element inspired came out on April 15th. Although a natural element inspired project would seem daunting for most, Thrice's writing abilities as well as self production execute well. Along with the first half of the project, this is a great way to complete it. Overall this entire project turns out to be an epic adventure, one that few bands could even conceive. One word comes to mind: epic, and on that level, Thrice delivers better than I could have imagined.

The first thing I notice about this album, as well as the first half of the set, is the overall sound a vibe. Coming from a first time, non professional engineer and producer, this album sounds amazing. Teppei Teranishi first crack at engineering without the help of any outside producer or engineer is definitely a success. The sounds are well put together making this album sound like a congruent work of art. I enjoy the deep, layered, and largely reverberant sound I can get from this album even on a relatively treble and dry based speaker system I have been listening with.

Kenstrue's lyrics are very well written this time around, chock full of metaphors and imagery. Topics question and range from morality, the situation in the Middle East, the environment, and Milly Michaelson. The lyrics are amazingly thoughtful and well put together. Printing lyrics out for me personally helps me so much in my analysis and I will certainly continue this habit with any other new albums I review. Read from a Christian perspective, as the writer is, is an amazing journey of questions and thoughts that allow one to dig deeper into many meanings. Although it is written and read well from a Christian perspective, the general public ranging from atheists to other religions can easily relate to the many general, yet deep questions posed and answered in the lyrics. The melodies are typical of Thrice, catchy, and intricate with plenty of reverberant and textured layers of vocals.

The music like the first two volumes are very indicative of their titles Air and Earth. On earth there is only one electric instrument, the lead guitar line in Come All You Weary, thus giving it a very basic, raw, and natural sound. The air disc ranges a little more, but rightfully imitates a sense of atmosphere and three dimensional area, coming from a stereo track. Overall, this is a great way to finish off the journey through all of the elements. Both of these albums are positive growth from Vheissu, and leaves me wondering where they head next. I will be attending their show this Friday in Nashville and can't wait to see their stage adaptations of these songs as well as their older material. I highly recommend this album to any fans of Thrice as well as anyone who is trying to get into their music. While Vheissu might be a better overall representation of their work, these two albums offer a wide variety from Fire and their heavier stuff to their more bare bones songwriter type of music in Earth. In general, this album is an amazing standalone work as well a intricate part of a bigger and much grander work representing the four elements well.

Key Tracks

Daedalus

Silver Wings

Moving Mountains

Come All You Weary

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Links

A future review 

The Future of possibly everything

Preview

You can't count on me.

Counting Crow's new disc, "Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings", starts off with a fundamentally intriguing concept. Although it is only one disc, the first seven songs are a representation of Saturday Night, and the latter seven mirror Sunday Morning. This duality is not only accomplished by lyrics, feel, and the music, but by the different producers that produced each "side" of the album. Needless to say, Saturday night is a little more rough and rocking, while the Sunday morning is what you would more expect from Counting Crows; mellow, oddly melodic, and slower.

The first few tracks hit right away with a hard rocking theme, almost too hard for the Crows to pull off. It sounds like Duritz and the band is a little out of their league with the music, but the vocals and lyrics are full of the typical dramatic and interesting phrasing.  Even a semi serious guitar solo is thrown in. Maybe I have not dug deep enough to their full collection, but these first few rough tracks just seem very different from my preconceived notions of the Crows. They pull off the rockier sound decently well, and definitely the songs fit for the Saturday night theme. 

The second set of songs for Sunday morning are very well done. It is here where we find their lead single, "You Can't Count on Me". This song is assuredly the most radio friendly song, and its easy to see why the picked it for the first single. The second set of songs tend to lend themselves more to the Crow's style, and I feel the band and Duritz tend to be more solid in a slow to mid tempo song. Here he unleashes plenty of his well known lyrics with references to girls, places, and introspective questions. In these songs is where Duritz's phrasing and dramatic singing can be more the focal point and allows for the band to just lay back and chill, while adding their own bursts of musicality in between Duritz's vocal lines. 

For the whole album, the production is done well. The sound is typical for the Counting Crows, but the instrumentation is done tastefully enough for music critics but easily accessible enough for radio listeners. The vibe and feel of the album is not overly adventurous, as it sounds like a normal Counting Crows album. A banjo is added in for taste and it works well in the song "When I Dream of Michelangelo". The depth between the guitars and piano/organ works well on most songs as they seem to properly interact with one another. The album definitely lacks a chart topper, like "Mr. Jones", "A Long December", or "Round Here", but overall is a solid album for the Counting Crow's collection. It is hard for me to say where this rates in their body of work, but I feel fans of theirs would be happy with this effort. The album is good enough to listen to and has enough songs to really dig into it. Although it lacks a typical pop chart topper, it shows that Duritz and crew are truly back to their original form as they claim.

Key Tracks:

Hanging Tree

When I Dream of Michelangelo 

You Can't Count on Me

1492

3 1/2 stars out of 5

Links:

Finally....

Donald Miller pushes back again.

Artwork

Myths, Legends, Truth, JUSTICE

Things are shaping up to be Pretty. Odd.

This is the first attempt at a blog of mine. Needless to say, I don't have many plans for it, just a way for me to review some albums that sparked my interest over the weeks and list some links that float across my desk. So here it is. My first review = the new Panic at the Disco album. 

Panic at the Disco - Pretty. Odd.

If you have been reading about this album at all, you'll know two things. 1. It has been, will be, and forever be looked at as Panic's attempt to mirror the Beatles. A Sgt. Pepper's of sorts. And yes, this comparison is rightfully made by most of the music magazines and critics, but for my sake I am trying to get past this and evaluate this album more objectively. And 2. It's drastically different than Panic's previous album. And again, this statement is completely true. They've traded synths for orchestra's, computers for analog tape. Real drums, big orchestrations and full harmonies flood this album, and besides the distinct characteristics of Brandon Urie's vocals, there is little similarities between their freshman and sophomore effort.

Except for the lead single, Nine in the Afternoon, Pretty. Odd.'s production has been very mellowed out. Robert Mathes, the producer, did a fine job creating the sounds and arrangements for this record. The tracks are often more mild and reverberant, than tinny, harsh, and dry, which is a good contrast from today's standards of bright and dry tracks invading our ears. From a songwriters standpoint, the songs are pretty basic, yet Panic have bolstered their simple melodies and chords, with extensive instrumentation and vocal harmonies. The timing and feel of the songs are liable to change on the listener at any moment, giving some of the tracks a surprisingly upbeat and happy feel. Ryan Ross's guitar is constantly noodling, making cute, yet effective lines. He has also recently began singing on a few tracks on the record giving a good and mellow contrast to Brandon.

The addition of so many new instruments and voices ends up allowing the album to be complicated enough to keep your attention, but simple enough that the melodies almost turn into really catchy chants. Instead of just using the guitar for chords, Panic employs basically every instrument ever used on any sort of rock album. Fiddle, mandolin, harmonica, strings, and brass all invade the album living it an eclectic yet, Beatles-esque feel. 

The lyrics are hard to take seriously after the first album, but Panic does a good job in showing some signs of maturation. Some songs prove to be quite self conscious, noting their own changes in format, style, and song-writing. Other songs tend to be weird and just off the wall with their messages, much like a Beatles tune such as "I am the Walrus" or "Come Together". The lyrics seem to have no rhyme or reason, and are about anything and everything. Overall, I think the actual lyrical content is the weakest link on this record. This is not to say they are poor lyrics, they just often get out shined by the melody or the complex arrangements. 

Overall, the album is a stepping stone for Panic at the Disco. The tracks are very good, especially the instruments, but lyrically seem to lack direction and theme. The album is pretty congruous minus a few tracks that seem out of place , such as "Folkin' Around" and "I Have Friends in Holy Places". What is left to be determined is where do they go from here. Will they continue along this path, go back to their roots of computer driven rock, or go somewhere equally unpredictable? I suggest this album to anyone who enjoys very dramatic, fully orchestrated tunes with a knack for a catchy melody. It will be interesting to see where Panic at the Disco ends up next, but hopefully it will be as pleasant as this effort.

Key Tracks 

She's a Handsome Woman

The Green Gentleman 

Northern Downpour

The Piano Knows Something I Don't Know

Mad as Rabbits

3.75 out of 5 Stars

Links

The Great Ethanol Hoax

Apes and Androids