"I think i'll go to Boston...think I'll start a new life"

Well this week i started out by continuing the trend of last week. A lot of old school Green Day for one, I forgot just how good Nimrod is. It was such a great follow up to Dookie and I can listen to it all the way through over and over again. Catchy hooks, actually more mature lyrics on some songs, and that typical Green Day swagger pulls it all together. It's just another reminder of how ridiculous their new rock opera persona is, especially when this is worlds better then anything they have produced recently.

Also still diving into 00's revival of garage rock with The White Stripes, The Hives, The Vines, Jet, and a little bit of the The Strokes. I still love that crunchy guitar sound with simple power chords and fusing that with Beatles-esque lyrics and simple song structures. It's just a good time with these kinds of bands and that really reels me into their kind of music.

Then i diverged a bit and dove into some Augustana. I don't know what really prompted me to start listening to them but all of a sudden i couldn't stop. Both of their albums are great and they have great songwriting abilities. It's weird because unlike a lot of music that talks about relationships, love, and life in general these have a hopeful edge rather then downturn other artists take. They are still heartfelt, soulful, and really reach into you but you get the sense that they can be overcome and worked though. Also the band puts on a great live show, they have a pretty good presence and definitely sound like their albums. I look forward to further albums from this band and are easily one of my top bands ever.

Also been playing Jimmy Eat World's first album Bleed American. Another album from my youth that stands up today. Really good pop-rock with some very in depth lyrics and a fantastic lead singer. This album is another one I can listen all the way through and enjoy every minute of it. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for decent rock music as it delivers the goods time and time again. Oddly i haven't jumped into their other albums as well, probably due to my penchant of usually preferring a bands debut album.

That pretty much brings me to the close of this week, I just recently discovered Ken Devine's solo stuff and i am starting to dig into that as it's really good acoustic music. I may report more on that next week, we'll see where my listening tastes take me.

Got internet...will write

Missed a week due to not having internet in my place but as you can see that issue has been rectified and now I can blog again. Got two weeks worth of music to talk about now and i've been listening to a lot of it. Probably cause it's so quiet in my new place living by myself so i've been listening to music to keep from going crazy. The big one on the list right has been the Tron: Legacy soundtrack by Daft Punk cause it's freaking awesome. I don't know how they will use the music in the movie yet but honestly this stuff is so good it doesn't really matter. There are some orchestral songs in the mix and even those are great, it definitely makes me excited for the movie. Daft Punk continues to deliver the beats and be one of the few bands that has me listening to techno and enjoying it.

Also been listening to a lot of garage rock, at least bands that revived the style in the 00's. White Stripes, The Vines, The Hives, Jet, Von Bondies, even a tiny bit of The Strokes though i like very few of their songs. I love that crunchy rock sound that feels like the band is jamming and having fun. It's not about crazy solos, heavy lyrics, or teenage angst it's about simple power chords, songs about being friends and drinking, and just plain good times. An interesting blend of the 70's rock like Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc and the alternative sound of the 90's.

Jumped into some From Autumn to Ashes as well, listened to their album Holding the Wolf by the Ears. It's actually pretty good, not their best but there are some really good songs on it and makes me sad they aren't together anymore. I've always liked From Autumn To Ashes melodic metal style of scream/sing switching. They were more emo them some of their contemporaries but the writing is top notch and good for getting some feelings out.

Also got into some of the back catalogue of Green Day after listening to The 20th Century Breakdown. I still love their old stuff, Dookie and Nimrod are great albums. Definitely one of the big bands of the 90's pop-punk movement. Going through their albums it makes me more disappointed with their new stuff. I feel like they lost their charm with this new rock-opera persona of theirs, like they forgot what made them good. I can't identify as much with their politically charged albums as opposed to albums about wasting time and being a loser.

Lastly been listening to some Richard Cheese cause that guy is hilarious. He definitely has Wierd Al like chops, taking popular songs and turning them into lounge music. If you want good parodies he definitely delivers and it's surprisingly listenable. That's pretty much it these last two weeks, be back next week with more! Now i'm gonna go listen to the new Jimmy Eat World album.

Your nothing special..just a skeleton key.

Well this week hasn't been too terribly exciting, amazon has been having crazy sales on their site and one of them has been five MP3 albums everyday for $1.99 each for that day. Unfortunately I either had the album or just wasn't really that interested in the album even for that price. I did manage to pick up two albums though that peaked my interest. The first one was Weezer's new album Hurley and I have to say it makes me sad. The album is okay, there are some decent songs, but they don't even sound like Weezer anymore. Ever since albums like Maladroit, Rattitude, and now this I just feel like Weezer has become very inaccessible to me. They went to a very strange experimental place that doesn't really suit my taste and makes me avoid their new albums and go back to the old ones like Blue and Green albums. It just seems like Rivers Como has gone of the damn deep end and sadly those that enjoy original Weezer are just left behind.

Another band that suddenly jumped back into rotation is Margot and the Nuclear So and So's. Specifically I've been listening to The Dust of Retreat album as honestly it is their strongest album in my opinion. It's one of those albums where their elements just seem to come together and is actually one of my favorite albums of all time. A lot of songs about lost love, betrayal, and all the feelings that can come between couples with some genuinely thoughtful lyrics. It also reinforces the fact that I tend to like the first album a band puts out, there are many exceptions to this rule but i would say a good 65% of the bands i listen to I tend to like their first album the best.

Got around to listening to another album bought through Amazon's daily MP3 deal Minotaur by The Clientele. They are a indie folkish band that are okay but honestly kind of washed over me and wasn't remembered very well. They aren't a bad band but there is nothing that really stands out about them. Their music just kinda happens, you enjoy it, and then your done. I am satisfied with paying $2.99 for them as i wouldn't have checked them out otherwise. If you need more folk music in your collection you could do worse.

The last music i've really listened to is the other album i picked up during the Black Friday week album sale which was Kaliedoscope Heart by Sara Bareilles. It's a decent sophomore effort though again it's a singer with who I prefer her first album over this second one. The thing about her is I like her voice and she can have pretty catchy songs. In this second album i feel like she went a little more mainstream pop and kinda lost me somewhat, i was more into her jazzy vocals and slow songs than her sugary sweet pop songs. It's not a bad album either though, she can still definitely sing, it's just her lyrics and a direction have gone downhill to me. Oh well $1.99 makes this an easier pill to swallow for sure.

And that is pretty much it for this week, other than that it's mostly been the Screened.com podcast and of course The Giant Bombcast as well. Until Next week...

Change in direction

Woah I realized i haven't written here for quite some time, heck another Warped Tour has come and gone even. I realized i'm not quite cut out to be a reviewer, at least a serious one as I don't have the money nor am I timely enough. I'm going to try to commit to once a week though and update on Sundays. I'm gonna keep this blog about music but now it's gonna more about what i'm listening to and general thoughts. I may still give reviews and such but they will be sporadic and heck might even be for albums that came out quite some time ago.

As far as the music listening goes I've been absorbing a lot of music though mostly it's been a lot of Manchester Orchestra and Right Away, Great Captain. Andy Hull is amazing musician with some very deep and thought-provoking lyrics. I am honestly not sure which band of his I enjoy more but i can say that with both i tend to like their first album better then their subsequent stuff in the end. But their entire catalogue is great stuff and I heartily recommend both bands.

Also been checking out some Evergreen Terrace which I've been meaning to get my hands on for some time now. Definitely an awesome melodic metal band that hits pretty hard. They have some alright solos but it's mostly just the main riffs and scream/sing dynamic that really gets in my head. They have some great hooks and I recommend the album "Wolfbiker" to sink your teeth into and see if you enjoy their style.

Been getting into Amazon's daily MP3 deals and sometimes they release good or new albums for mad cheap and it would be ridiculous not to buy at that price. Picked up the new Underoath album Disambiguation which i gotta say is the weakest album they have made in awhile. It's still them and it has it's moments but it definitely doesn't stick with me as well as They Are Only Chasing Safety and Define the Great Line do. It's the kind of album i recommend to Underoath fans but new kids should try an older album to see if they would like the music.

Another band i've been listening to is 10 years, picked up more of their stuff and remember why i like them so much. It's pretty much if Shinedown was good is the best way i can put it. They have a good old school alternative sound with some pretty deep lyrics that touch on some heady subjects. Worth checking out if you like bands like A Perfect Circle, Shinedown, or Crossfade.

The rest has been a smattering of Barenaked Ladies, The Receiving End of Sirens, Coheed and Cambria, and Soasin. Again rediscovering my love for bands i used to listen to a lot but kinda got lost in my music library and then rediscovered. I think that is all for now, until next week!