Jazz Fest, Pearl Jam and How To Destroy Angels

Is it possible to do a Cinco de Mayo Resolution? Well if it is then my Cinco de Mayo Resolution is to post more on this blog because I really was excited about doing it originally and I let work get in the way. Well enough's enough because I'm tired of doing paperwork at night. And because there is alot of great music coming out over the next couple months and I want to keep up with all of it.

First, a concert review. I got the opportunity to go to Jazz Fest in New Orleans on Saturday and let me just say it was an amazing experience. Partly in fact because I was fairly intoxicated throughout but mostly because I got to see my all time favorite band (and musical obsession),Pearl Jam, live for the first time since '06. There was a huge crowd there but I was able to work my to get a pretty good position in the masses where I could actually see the stage and not have to watch the video screens. This was PJ's first show on their 2010 tour but they did not show any signs of rust. They started off with a blazing opening trio of So You Want To Be a Rock and Roll Star (Byrds Cover), Lukin, and Corduroy. It was a genius way to start way to start the show and until the familiar opening notes of Corduroy started most of the crowd around me looked very confused. They carried this energy throughout the whole set playing with a fire I did not expect to see at a festival show, Mike in particular was going nuts on stage. I walked into this show with three songs I really wanted to hear and I was lucky enough to get two of them: In My Tree and Nothingman. The latter is a song that means quite a bit to me personally so it was truly a moving experience to finally hear it live. Also the new material off of Backspacer sounded fantastic and actually made me appreciate that album much more. All in all it was a great show with a great closing song, "It's time to Kick Out The Jams Motherf******s!"

Also at Jazz Fest I got to see Band of Horses who were on my list of must attend concerts. They did not disappoint playing a short yet enthralling set featuring songs from across their first two album and their soon to be released effort which will definitely talked about on here. In preparation for their upcoming release please check out Cease to Begin and Everything All The Time, you will not be disappointed.

Finally, I want to bring to you some brand new music from my other musical obsession Nine Inch Nails. Well technically it's not Nine Inch Nails but since Trent Reznor has put his namesake group on a long term hiatus it's as close as we are going to get. It's a new group called How To Destroy Angels and it features his wife Mariqueen on vocals. Taking one part NIN and one part Massive Attack and throwing some beautiful yet tortured female vocals on top of it makes for a compelling listen. Check out their first single The Drowning at the link below. It's a very hypnotic experience. If this is a sign of things to come from Reznor then I almost don't mind him stepping back from NIN... almost. Enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/A-Drowning/dp/B003KSF8CY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1273117514&sr=8-3-spell

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles

And now for something completely different....

Well I am taking some time off for Easter and am back home in Flowery Branch, GA. It's great to see the family and also to have some time on my hands. So I figured I would do a long overdue update.

As it says, this is the self-titled debut album from Canadian duo Crystal Castles and it is a different. Sounding like they jumped straight out of an Atari game this band specializes in low-fi electronic rock. Ethan Kath, multi-instrumentalist, and Alice Glass, vocals, started recording together in 2005 and hit the mainstream as a complete accident. Their demo of Glass recording some test vocals over Kath's 8-bit beats, which was aptly titled "Alice Practice", was leaked to the internet and became an overnight sensation. The combination of the aggressive yet indecisphirable vocals and unique low-fi melodies made for a sound that was unlike anything else out there. They got more press by doing some remixes for some artists in the electronic community and then released their eponymous debut in 2008.

This album is a very hypnotic listen but at the same can be very jagged and unsettling. Case in point, the track "Magic Spells" creates an electronic landscape that borrows alot from the trance scene but then has, at random intervals, Glass' almost possessed sounding vocals. Overall the track is a very soothing listen though. But then it jumps right into the pounding beats and snarling lyrics of "Xxzcuzx Me". There couldn't a more different feel to this song because it comes off as such abrasive track after following a such a laid back one. The dichotomy of this whole album keeps you in unfamiliar territory throughout each listen because you never know what is coming next. It can't be overstated how much the music sounds like it is straight out of a NES game but that is what is so appealing about it, the retro sound is the hook but it never becomes tired. A perfect example of a track that effectively uses the 8-bit sounds is "Air War" which features vocals from Glass that come off as pure babble but for some reason it sucks you right in. Another highlight is the beautiful and reserved ballad "Tell Me What to Swallow" that closes the album. It is completely unexpected after the barrage of electronics that you go through during the listen but it is a genius reprieve from the proceedings.

I won't lie to you, you're gonna either love this album or hate it. Hopefully it's not the latter but if so, at least you gave a try listening to something strange and new. Afterall, isn't that the fun of being a music fan?

Track highlights: Untrust Us, Crimewave, Courtship Dating, Love and Caring, Tell Me What To Swallow

Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Since March Madness started today I thought I would share my Final Four: West Virginia, Duke, Kansas, Kansas State. It was one of the best first days of the tourney that I can remember, alot of close games and overtimes. Exactly the reason why everybody loves this time of year!

But enough about sports, this is a music blog after all and I wish I had some witty tie in from basketball to today's album but it's late and I'm not feeling that creative. I do have some great tunes to share with you though and they come from one of my favorite musicians (James Mercer of The Shins) and one of my favorite producers (Brian Burton aka Danger Mouse). As is popular in today's music, this side project takes the best of both worlds from the music contributions of each artist. Mercer takes his catchy songwriting skills and brings it to Burton who drops the bright pop of The Shins and adds a dark tinge to the proceedings and encompasses all the songs in his trademark vintage sounding atmosphere. Burton, who revitalized Beck's career last year, forces Mercer expand his musical vocabulary, making him a more interesting artist to listen to. As you can imagine this mixture creates some great songs and this album is full of them. The lead single, The High Road, is a laid back tune with Mercer's familiar vocals crooning over some Burton played percussion and electronics during the chorus. The Mall and The Misery is another personal favorite, one of the few songs on here that has a true Shins like feel to it featuring strings in the beginning and then has fun with a psych-pop riff and Mercer's echoing vocals. However, the highlight for me is The Ghost Inside which is all Danger Mouse. The riff and beats are some of his staples and he has Mercer sing with a rare falsetto throughout which is catchy as hell.

Broken Bells make take a couple listens to sink in but once it does it will be stuck in your head for quite some time. I encourage you to try something a little different and check out this album.

Track Highlights: The High Road, Your Head is On Fire, The Ghost Inside, Mongrel Heart, The Mall and The Misery

http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Bells-Video/dp/B003B06Q40/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1268978817&sr=301-1

Ben Howard - These Waters

Well let me first apologize for the long delay in between posts. I got busy with work and other things and had not made an effort to update this blog. But I received some encouraging news tonight that in fact my mom is not the only one that has looked at this thing, so thanks to the girls at Ponchatoulas I will be updating once again!

It is currently about 1:30am here in Ruston, LA and as lame as it is to say so that is probably the latest I have been up on a weeknight in a couple of months. I needed some good chill music to listen to before I went to bed so I put on an artist that I think alot more people need to know about. Ben Howard is an acoustic singer/songwriter out of the UK. He has no record label and is a surfer who writes some damn good music. This guy is an amazing slap guitarist and has one of my favorite voices in music today. If you have any interest in John Mayer, Damien Rice, Ray Lamontagne, etc. then you owe to it yourself to download his debut EP These Waters. It is a short six tracks but he packs so much emotion and story into it that has been on constant repeat on my Ipod. The highlight is Cloud Nine, a story of heartbreak and meeting again somewhere down the road. This song is a perfect example of Ben's skill of using the slap technique to give his guitar playing an almost percussion sense. Another one of my favorites off the EP is The Fire, a song with such raw passion in the lyrics that it really is a stunner. It features one of my favorite lines from any music I have listened to in the past couple months, "We'll show the fire how to burn". For some reason that lyric just really struck me...

Anyway this guy is someone I think will be very popular someday so listen to him know before he becomes mainstream. If you enjoy acoustic music at all then this will be well worth your time.

Track Highlights: The Wolves, Cloud Nine, The Fire

http://www.amazon.com/These-Waters/dp/B002FVQ52E/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1268807935&sr=301-1

Vampire Weekend - Contra

Well it's been a couple days since my last post so a couple updates are in order. First of all let me give a huge WHO DAT shout out to my Super Bowl Champion Saints and to the city of New Orleans. I will remember forever my grandpa calling me practically in tears right after they won, he has been a fan since the beginning of the franchise so what a great moment for him. You may be wondering why I wasn't in New Orleans for the game and I actually was living out a longtime dream, being a cowboy for the weekend. I met up with some close friends in Dallas to help out with the Fort Worth Stock Show and work the cattle auction. Yes, I got to put on cowboy boots and herd cows for the day. While I didn't get run over by one (that a boy Bruce!) it was still a blast and something I would do again in a heartbeat.

Well now to the music for today and I think I have picked out a winner in Contra. With all the exciting things happening I have been a very upbeat mood and this album captures that feeling perfectly. This is Vampire Weekend's sophomore album and it is a refreshing dose of indie dream rock. All of these songs have an almost fantastic sense about them and with the exception of the last track they move along at a swift but not forced pace. There are some great beats on every track as Vampire Weekend uses an interesting mix of synths and live instruments. "Holiday" hops along brightly over an offbeat guitar riff while "Taxi Cab" provides an hypnotizing synth melody that draws you into the song for a very chill listen. Vampire Weekend is at their best however on "Giving Up The Gun", a song that features a driving rhythm from the drums and bass with a chorus so catchy it will be days before you get out of your head. And of course Vampire Weekend cannot be discussed without touching on Ezra Koenig's voice and lyrics. While it is an almost female sounding delivery, he is able to project in the higher ranges without sounding whiny. He also delivers some heartfelt and thought provoking lines as there is some poetry hidden within these songs and they are definitely worth giving a closer look at. So check out Vampire Weekend's Contra for a listen into thinking man's indie pop and try not to whistle the songs when you are on the bus to work the next day.

Track Highlights: White Sky, Run, Cousins, Giving Up the Gun, Diplomat's Son

http://www.amazon.com/Contra/dp/B002YP45EQ/ref=pd_ts_zgc_dmusic_digital_music_album_display_on_website_6?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&pf_rd_p=105271282&pf_rd_s=right-3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=163856011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=02Q44BVZP479VF8P2643

30 Seconds To Mars - This Is War

I am in Bossier City, LA which is the Vegas of Louisiana. Seriously, there are 6 Casinos within 5 minutes of my hotel. Maybe that explains why this post isn't going up till 1 AM on a worknight? Anyway, Bossier City also happens to be the hometown of everyone's favorite heroin addict in the film Requiem for a Dream, actor Jared Leto. Now you may know this or not but Jared Leto also has quite the voice and is the lead singer and guitarist for alternative band 30 Seconds to Mars. They hit it big back in 2006 with their their sophomore release A Beautiful Lie featuring the songs "The Kill" and "From Yesterday to Tomorrow". Both were huge on MTV and every high school emo punk in America ate it up. Well Mr. Leto and crew just released their third album in late 2009 and it is my pick for guilty pleasure album of the year.

This Is War is an album that critcs love to hate. It is over produced, inconsistent in it's song choices, and tries to be way too epic for it's own good. Well thank God I am not a critic because I freaking love this album. I love that on everything song they go for U2 type heights right out of the gate. I love that Leto has decided that it would be a good idea to throw a children's chorus shouting "This Is War!" on every other track. And I definitely love that Kanye West co-wrote a song, "Hurricane". I guess he heard this album was going to be, well.... epic and he just couldn't resist. But you know what? Who gives a damn that this album takes itself way too seriously, the songs are too catchy to resist and sometimes it's good to have a little fun listening to an album. So pick this one up, try not to think too hard about what the music means, and when he sings, "This is a call to arms, gathered soldiers, time to go to war, this is a battle song, brothers and sisters, time to go to war!", have a little laugh with yourself and go along with the ride.

Track Highlights: Kings and Queens, Hurricane, Vox Populi, Search and Destroy

http://www.amazon.com/This-Is-War/dp/B002XHN776/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1265353755&sr=301-1

Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures

In music, supergroups are a funny thing. Sometimes they completely kick ass and other times the whole definitely does not equal the sum of its parts. Well I had high expectations for These Crooked Vultures and I am excited to say that their debut album released in late 2009 does not disappoint.

For the uninitiated, TCV put Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), and the legendary John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) in a room together to see what would happen. Well given the pedigree of the musical history in that room it's not surprising something special occurred. What they produced was the punch in the gut to hard rock that had been needed for some time. These are some scorching tracks filled with great musicianship across the board. With Homme on vocals and guitar the songs tend to have a more Queens of the Stone Age type feel but Grohl and Jones Homme team up to provide an epic sounding rhythm section that elevates everything to something entirely different.

What is truly great about this album is that even with amazing talent on each instrument, no one gets in the way of each other. They sound like a cohesive band that is just jamming off of each other. Homme comes up with some great riffs, namely on Elephants, Mind Eraser No Chaser, and the highlight of the album, Gunman. Mr. Jones even gets do to his best Trampled Under Foot on Scumbag Blues, a song that truly sounds like QoTSA got put in a blender with Led Zeppelin. And of course Grohl is amazing as always, showing on each track why he is still one of the best drummers in rock today.

This is a rock album that I can recommend for anyone with no reservations. There is no agenda, no meaning in the lyrics, no deeper level to connect on the songs with. This is the supergroup of rock's past, present, and future and they are here to kick your ass with their own blend of hard rock and leave you wanting more. For our sake, hopefully Them Crooked Vultures is not a one and done side project.

Track Highlights: Mind Eraser No Chaser, Elephants, Bandoliers, Caligulove, Gunman


http://www.amazon.com/Them-Crooked-Vultures/dp/B002VSIOE8/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1265262041&sr=301-1

Gary Jules - Gary Jules

One of my favorite things about going to a concert is the opening act. It's a great opportunity to hear a new artist and sometimes you end up liking them more than the headliner you came to see! That was exactly the case when I went to see Joshua Radin this fall. I had only heard of opener Gary Jules from the movie Donnie Darko. He is the one who does the hauntingly beautiful cover of Tears for Fears "Mad World" at the end of the movie. What I didn't know about Gary Jules is that he is an amazing acoustic songwriter and seeing him live quickly educated me.

My favorite songs that night came from his self titled album so I picked it up and was not disappointed with the album in the least. His voice is not what you would expect from a guy with full sleeve tattoos, it is very relaxed and has a soothing quality to it. He also is very skilled on the acoustic guitar, picking out some nice riffs not just strumming on chords. But what makes a singer/songwriter album is of course the songs and Gary has penned some great ones on this record. One of my favorites is "Wichita" where he perfectly captures the mood of driving across the frozen plains of the Midwest. Another highlight is "Falling Awake", a song about being a first time parent and the fear and joy that brings. I got to meet Gary for a minute after the show and he is a class act, manning his own merch booth in the lobby and signing autographs for fans. For this reason, and also that his music is damn good, I highly encourage you to pick up this album for a very chill acoustic experience.

Track Highlights: Falling Awake, The Devil Keeps Grinning, There's A Hole In The Sky, Wichita

http://www.amazon.com/Gary-Jules/dp/B000QQVV88/ref=pd_sim_dmusic_3

Silversun Pickups - Carnavas

Greetings from Natchitoches, LA and don't even try to pronounce it, it took me a month to get it down. Well last night was Grammy night and I had the misfortune of tuning in for most of it. There were some great performances (Dave Matthews and well.... maybe only one great performance) and then there was Lady Gaga. Would someone please tell me what demon from Hell spawned this creature? I just don't understand why people love her so much, for me she sums up everything that is wrong with mainstream music today.. but that is a discussion for another day.

Up for the Best New Artist Grammy last night was Silversun Pickups for their most recent album Swoon. Unfortunately they did not take home the award so as consolation I picked their first full length record as my album of the day. Carnavas was released back in 2006 and hearkened back to the Smashing Pumpkins of old. This an album that reminds me of being at that point in time before you fall asleep but you aren't quite awake. An almost dreamlike quality accompanies most of these tunes as both the music and lyrics combine to bring the listener a since of comfort but at the same time a strange feeling unfamiliarity. Layers of distorted guitars and fuzz make up the base of these songs but don't let it fool you, there are some killer riffs throughout the album. This band knows how to deliver a track that lets itself buildup to the payoff and much like the Pumpkins knew how to do so well, the sense of melody is never lost even when the screaming gets loud. Case in point is "Lazy Eye" which has been featured in both the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games. It starts off with a gentle delivery but layers of guitar are slowly added on until the shoegaze explosion at the finale. Brian Aubert's voice is easy to get used to and his delivery of the lyrics makes it easy to excuse their sometimes pointless meaning. Overall, this is a record that will provide at the very least an interesting listen so if you are looking for a different type of rock album then check out Carnavas.

Track Highlights: Well Thought Out Twinkles, Little Lover's So Polite, Future Foe Scenarios, Lazy Eye, Three Seed

http://www.amazon.com/Carnavas/dp/B000X5EOE0/ref=sr_shvl_album_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1265084640&sr=301-2

Throw Me The Statue - Creaturesque

This album is one that really surprised me. I picked it up on a suggestion from a friend but I am not a huge fan of so called "indie pop" so I didn't have great expectations. Well I'm glad I took his advice because this ended up being one of my favorite albums of 2009. It took a couple listens to capture the nuances but it was catchy enough to stay in my driving rotation for a couple weeks. It has a sunny almost bouncy feel to it but at the same time there are some shadows in the lyrics that make it an intriguing listen. Scott Reitherman's vocals float over his electronic influenced rhythms so that it has an almost hypnotic quality. He has pushed the melodies underneath some of the fuzz but the pop hooks are present and will get stuck in your head if you let them. If you are looking for a record that is a fun listen for a lazy Sunday afternoon then don't hesitate to check this one out.

Track highlights: Ancestors, Dizzy From the Fall, Cannibal Rays, The Outer Folds

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002IVI5KG/sr=8-1/qid=1264972209/ref=sr_digr_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1264972209&sr=8-1

At the Starting Line

I have avoided the idea of having a blog for a long time. I wanted to have something meaningful to share if I created one and no topic ever presented itself. Now that I am recently relocated to Baton Rouge, LA for a job and I have a little more time on my hands, I started to think about what would be of interest for me to put on a blog. Well ever since I was 15 my passion in life has been listening to music and finding new artists to listen to. Music was something that no matter what I was feeling or going through, I could find myself in it. It is something that can bring back memories and experiences for me better than a picture ever could. What is great about that though is that what a particular song or album means to me could mean something completely different to you. Music is an art form that is interpreted thousands of times over and every listener's experience is different. I always enjoy a good conversation about music and what it has meant to people so I decided that this blog could be a way to share the music I am enjoying with anybody else who might be interested.

I am going to pick an album each day that I want to share. I will be picking from all across my collection in all different types of music. Some of it may be music you have heard before, some of it may be music you hate, but I hope that at least one of my posts will be an album that you pick up for the first time and fall in love with. Hopefully this can be a discussion as well so give me your opinion of the music I am writing about and feel free to give me some music suggestions. As I said I love finding new music!

One last thing, I am a big believer that the album is a lost art form to many people in today's listening world. I have always thought that to truly appreciate what the artist was trying to get at you must listen to an album from first song to last. To just listen to certain tracks would be like putting in a DVD and skipping through scenes. You may have your favorite scenes of the movie but I guarantee you will miss a key part of the plot. I encourage you to purchase a CD instead of downloading a few of your favorite tracks you have heard on the radio. Sometimes your favorite song may end up being a deep cut that you would have never heard if you hadn't listened to the whole album!