Andy's Blog

"Very Emo" music reviews

One of the (few) upsides to all of the Mario Kart that Kevin and I have been playing is that I have been listening to a lot of music. The in game soundtrack is completely forgetable, and isn't necessary in order to play the game. So, I always configure my receiver to take the video from the GameCube, and the audio from my CD player. Hence, I have been listening to a lot of CDs. I bought some new ones recently, which I'm going to go over now:

• Paramore - "All We Know Is Falling": This band is freakin' great. I know that they are terribly emo. And terribly young. And that I shouldn't like anything by terribly young emo kids making pop records. But damn if I cannot get this record out of my head! I have been listening to this album nearly non-stop since it hit my CD player, as many as 3 times a day. In all of our time spent in front of Mario Kart, this CD has risen to the top of the heap. And even my "resident music critic" agrees. Musically, Paramore plays a much harder brand of rock (ala Fall Out Boy), but driven by strong, passionate, female vocals. Standout tracks include "All We Know", "Here We Go Again", and "My Heart". I very well could be burned out on this CD in a month, but for now, I am enjoying the ride. Highly recommended.

• The Hush Sound - "So Sudden": Another spin on the emo concept -- The Hush Sound has less of a rock edge than Paramore, but brings in more piano and alternating male/female vocals, to good, poppy effect. In fact, the music on "So Sudden" is pure, unadulterated pop. Check out "Weeping Willow", for example -- that song is buyoed by an almost jaunty piano hook, and propelled by your standard angst-ridden lyrics. However, poppiness and cookie-cutter lyrics aside, this band shows a lot of promise. They supposedly have a new album coming out this summer, so I will be quite interested to check it out. This is a solid record, and if you like Fall Out Boy, I definitely recommend checking this band out as well.

• Youth Group - "Skeleton Jar": I got this CD for Christmas from Sara. And while it didn't really take at first, Youth Group has been growing on me, slowly. I would classify this band as perveyors of soft, emo rock much in the style of Death Cab For Cutie. The first track on the album, "Shadowland", is one of the standouts. The lyrics read more like poetry, describing sensations, feelings, and scenes. Things that are conveyed more strongly, thanks to the music.

• Straylight Run - "Prepare To Be Wrong": I have blogged about this band before. Their new EP contains just 6 songs, of which the middle four are actually pretty good. Straylight Run is more music for the emo set - alternating male and female vocals, alternating between ballady piano songs and harder rock songs, their music is a little more adult than the other bands in this round-up. This EP, in particular, sees the band making more of a political statement. Against the war. Injustice. Government control. The standout tracks from the EP are "It Never Gets Easier" (about a disintegrating relationship) and "Hands In The Sky (Big Shot)" (a pessimistic outlook on government power). Taken as a whole, this is an interesting new direction for Straylight Run. I think they are working on a new album, which based upon the strength of this EP -- while imperfect -- is something that I'm going to have to check out.

• Neutral Milk Hotel - "In the Aeroplane over the Sea": This band is really hard to describe. Based upon my praise for The Decemberists, Chris recommended that I check out Neutral Milk Hotel. Well, I did, and I haven't regretted this purchase in the slightest. "In the Aeroplane over the Sea" is a tremendously good album. The music is kindof sparse, and the male vocals are never exactly in tune, and aside from some ramblings about Jesus, I have no idea what any of the songs are about. Yet somehow, it all works. I should warn you, that my "resident music critic" absolutely hates Neutral Milk Hotel. And he doesn't really like The Decemberists either (although I am softening him up on that band). So if you don't like The Decemberists, don't bother with Neutral Milk Hotel. Otherwise, if you're willing to spend sometime getting into something that defies description, I strongly recommend this album.
  

But I have also been going back into my "archive", and pulling out some older discs to listen to. I have spun Ministry (which Kevin and I mocked incessantly), Bad Religion, Massive Attack, Sleater-Kinney (for some reason, I have been listening to "The Hot Rock" a lot), and Rage Against the Machine, Coldplay ("X&Y" may suck, but "Parachutes" is a really good album).

But of course, in preparation for the new album, I have also been listening to lots and lots (and lots and lots and lots) of Tool. I can't wait until May.

-Andy.

Technorati Tags: Straylight Run, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Hush Sound, Paramore, Youth Group, Music

ohboyohboy

"Look for new tool release - Spring 2006"

I know that I shouldn't get my hopes up or anything, but I can't help it -- my hopes are official up! 2006 could potentially be a great year!

-Andy.

ohboy

Final "Album Reviews" of 2005

I bought some new CDs a few months ago, that I have been meaning to write another of my album review posts. So, here we go:

• Minus The Bear - "Menos El Oso": Wow! Another great disc from Minus The Bear. There are no weak tracks on this CD, and I have been listening to it non-stop since I bought it. This album is pretty much a continuation of their last album, "Highly Refined Pirates". So, if you liked that disc, you should definitely pick this one up. However, if you didn't get into Minus The Bear before (Sara), then this won't be the album that brings you over to my side of the fence.
• The Decemberists - "Picaresque": Yet another band that I am possibly "ahead of the curve" on. I really like The Decemberists, yet both my resident music critic (Kevin) and my sister have panned them with extreme prejudice.

  But I am not swayed. The Decemberists can best be described as a poppier/happier "Sixteen Horsepower". And that comparison will only help the small number of people who have heard that band. The Decemberists have a little bit of a country feel, playing a lot of instruments, but never letting the music feel dense. They feature male and female vocals, but the male vocals are a little on the whiny side, which is probably what turns most people off. But if you continue to listen, you will be rewarded with an incredible album. Stand-out tracks include "The Engine Driver" and "On The Bus Mall". Strongly recommended.

• Panic! At The Disco - "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out": an amazing Fall Out Boy clone. Which is quite alright, since they are on Pete's label, Decaydance. What is strange about this band, however, is that the lead singer of P!ATD sounds exactly like Patrick of FOB.

  Seriously.

  The first time I heard this CD, I thought that it was Patrick singing vocals, and it took quite awhile for me to be able to tell the difference.

  Vocal similarities aside, P!ATD is also similar to FOB musically and lyrically. The only differences is that P!ATD uses more electronics, no screaming, and (if you can believe this) are actually more poppier than Fall Out Boy.

  So poppy, in fact, that this album has been stuck in my head for weeks. This album is so good, that Kevin and I have started predicting the death of Fall Out Boy, as they are supplanted by their younger, poppier, and more westerly competitors, Panic! At The Disco. If you are in a hurry, check out the tracks "I write sins not tragedies" and "Time To Dance". Recommended.

• Death Cab For Cutie - "Plans": This is the new album from Death Cab, and while it is a solid effort, it seems like it is missing a certain something. To be quite frank, I just haven't been listening to this album very much, preferring the new Minus The Bear and Decemberists albums. "Soul Meets Body" is a pretty good song, but it doesn't match the heights of their previous albums (like my all-time favorite song, "Debate Exposes Doubt", off of "The Photo Album", for example). So, I would only recommend this for die-hard DCFC fans.
• Feersum Ennjin - "EP": This band is a new side project from Paul D'Amour, who as you all well know used to be the bassist for a little, itty-bitty band that I only kindof like, Tool. This EP is hard to describe -- it is rock, but very experimental, yet a bit more focused than most of the super-crazy-experimental music that I have heard (i.e. Mr. Bungle. Ug.). The only other band that I can really compare this to is Lusk, which was also a Paul D'Amour side project. So, if you ever listened to Lusk's "Free Mars", then you should probably check this out. Otherwise, this is only worth looking into if you are seeking to expand your musical horizons. If you listen to one song off of this EP, try my favorite track, "U-Boats".
• My Chemical Romance - "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge": More emo for the Fall Out Boy-loving set. I couldn't shake their song "Helena" from my mind after seeing the music video, but I didn't want to pay $14 to be one of those me-too little punk high school kids. So, I ended up not buying this album for a long time, until I found a used copy and cracked.

  Never-mind that this album is really targeted towards the high school crowd: it's good. In fact, I have been quite surprised by how much I am listening to this album. Recommended (if you don't mind the stigma of saying that you listen to MyChem). :)

• Rilo Kiley - "More Adventurous": This is another really great album. Rilo Kiley has a folky poppy female vocal-driven sound, not unlike Denali or Ivy. This album has a few slow spots, but on the whole is very good. The lyrics paint a vivid, story-like picture of love, loss, and everything in between. The stand-out tracks are "Does He Love You?" and "I Never" (Kevin really likes that song, in fact). Recommended.

-Andy.

Technorati Tags: Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, Minus The Bear, Death Cab For Cutie, Rilo Kiley, The Decemberists, My Chemical Romance, Feersum Ennjin, Tool, Lusk

Fall Out Boy on the cover of Spin

My dad scanned and e-mailed me the cover of Sara's December issue of Spin:

I haven't received my copy yet, so I can't comment on the article. What I can comment on, is that this band is getting pretty big.

-Andy.

Technorati Tags: Fall Out Boy, Spin

The Fall Out Boy back stage pass

I was almost against posting this, since I was worried about would-be counterfeiters. But, since my scanner is so bad, I think I'm probably pretty safe, so here it is:

It looks a little worse for the wear because it is a sticker (that has since been unstuck). But while I was wearing it, we got caught in a torrential downpour on the way back to the car.

Nevertheless, it has survived, to join the detritus of the Internet. Enjoy, Internet!

-Andy.

Fall Out Boy live at the Warfield

Invoking the "roommate privilege", Kevin, Mark, Suzie and I all went to the sold-out Fall Out Boy show this evening at the Warfield. I forgot my camera (and I'm not sure that they would have let me bring it in anyway), so I had to make due with some crappy cell phone pictures, like this one of the boys on stage:

Kevin and I got to the show over an hour after it started, so I missed a few of the opening bands (I hear from Patrick that Panic! At the Disco is pretty great). I missed even more of the opening bands, however, by standing in the oppressively long merch line:

I was trying to buy a Motion City Soundtrack shirt for Sara, and a Panic! shirt for my cousin Iris. By the time I got my turn to purchase, both were sold out. So, having to buy something after waiting for over an hour, I bought a FOB t-shirt.

The show itself was pretty decent. FOB was really tight, and Kevin and I both thought that Patrick was doing a much better job of singing into the microphone, and thus not "clipping" his vocals. They played a pretty decent mix of songs from "Take This To Your Grave" and "From Under The Cork Tree", including "Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is My Boy", "Chicago Is So Two Years Ago", "Sugar, We're Goin' Down", "Dance, Dance", "Sophomore Slump Or Comeback Of The Year" (Patrick really held that note fora long time, it was great) and "XO" (one of my favorites).

It was a real surprise, however, when they reached back to their first full-length "Evening Out With Your Girlfriend", and played "Moving Pictures". I think I was one of the few people who had even heard that song before, much less knew some of the lyrics. The crowd in general didn't know what to do with themselves during that song.

After the show, we used our back stage passes (sweet!) to go downstairs, where we met up with Patrick for awhile. We had a wide ranging conversation that touched on Shredder, fake accents, weird intersections of evolution as exemplified by the platypus and broken kitchen sinks. I finally steered the topic towards music, or the creation thereof. I have been giving Kevin some shit recently about not recording any of his music, and his latest excuse is that he needs a drum machine. When Patrick heard this, he quickly deflated that notion, talking about how he has been creating lots of beats using Apple's GarageBand software.

And just like that, we were off to the tour bus, so that Patrick could show us GarageBand:

So, I will gush now -- this is the first time that I have been cool enough to be "back stage", or on the bus. I of course liked the Fall Out Boy bus because they had lots of toys -- several plasma screens with stereos, DVDs, and game systems, several macs (at least 4), tons of music equipment, etc. It definitely looks like a cramped way to live for months upon end, but still, it is a huge upgrade from the van that they used to drive. One of the neatest things that we saw on the bus was a painting of the band done by a superfan:

It is hard to make out, but it is a rendition of Fall Out Boy mixed in with a famous painting.

Anyways, the bottom-line is that it was a really fun time. The concert was awesome, I had a good time hanging out afterwards, and despite the traffic and getting rained on, it was well worth the trip.

-Andy.

Technorati Tags: Fall Out Boy, San Francisco, Warfield

New Music: Rilo Kiley

I bought Rilo Kiley's "more adventurous" at Target last week. I have listened to it a few times, and so far, I'm liking it. Poppy and fun. There is one song, "I Never", that is a little repetitive, and as a result, gets on Kevin's nerves. But other than that, I don't have any complaints. I don't think that this is going to displace The Postal Service, but it's still a solid album. Recommended.

-Andy.

 

 

Fall Out Boy's rising star

So, Fall Out Boy's new album, "From Under The Cork Tree", came out some time ago. I haven't had a chance to review it yet, so here is my review:

As you can tell from the indisputable iTunes star rating system, the new album is good. Very good. Having six 5-star songs on an album is pretty solid, especially based on how I rate albums. In general, the album doesn't break a lot of new ground from their previous element -- many of the same thematic elements are explored (Love. Loss. And of course, Movies), and the sound is as poppy as ever. But Pete's screaming has been toned down (to positive effect), and some guest vocals have been brought in (which are somewhat superfluous -- Patrick's vocals are one of Fall Out Boy's strongest assets).

But not only is the new album great, but Fall Out Boy's star is on the rise as well. Their first single, "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" is currently #3 on iTunes. They have performed on Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel's late night shows. Their video appears to be in frequent MTV rotation. I checked out "MTV's Weekend Dime" this weekend, and Fall Out Boy was not only the topic of VJ prattle, but the "Dance, Dance" video came out at #4 on the top ten list. And finally, they are up for a VMA.

So go and vote form them, and be amazed, as I am, that this little band is gaining such a mass following.

-Andy.

Album reviews

Time for another installment of my quickie album reviews:

• Sleater-Kinney - "The Woods": The new album from my perennial favorites from the pacific northwest, Sleater-Kinney. This album is quite unlike all of their previous albums -- much dirtier, louder -- offering up more of a sonic assault than a dance beat. For the first week or so, I'll have to admit, I was a little bit depressed because I did not like this album. But then I saw Sleater-Kinney perform it live, and I started to warm up a bit. And I have continued listening, almost every day, and as I have done so, my admiration for this record has only grown. Standout tracks include the quirky "Modern Girl", and the totally stupendous, best-Sleater-Kinney-song-ever, "Night Light". This album is strongly recommended for any Sleater-Kinney fans, but probably won't win anyone over to the band if you haven't liked them previously.
• Ivy - "In the Clear": Amazing album. Ivy is one band that consistently delivers on the great music. I am really into this album, I think that it is every bit as good as "Apartment Life", if not even a notch or two better. Standout tracks include "Four In The Morning" and "I've Got You Memorized". If you looking for some mellow, poppy rock with strong female vocals, you cannot go wrong with this.
• Coldplay - "X&Y": Terrible! I am so shocked by this, because Coldplay supposedly delayed this album in order to bring it up to their standard of quality (which is pretty darn high). Sure, this album is polished, and the songs all "feel" right, but there something lacking. After listening to this album, I am left with nothing. Nothing sticks, it is all monotonous and repetitive. Coldplay is coming to the bay area in August, but I'm not so sure that I even want to go anymore, based upon this album.
• Muse - "Absolution": This is one strange band. This CD alternates between totally heavy, flat out rock, and passages that sound like classical music. It is really amazing how this band is able to shift musical styles so seamlessly, without it seeming forced or out of place. This disc has slowly been growing on me as well. The standout track is "Hysteria", which is one of the "heavier" tracks, but still quite well done. Just bear in mind that it isn't 100% representative of what you will find on this CD.
• Queens of the Stone Age - "Lullabies to Paralyze": Another solid effort from Queens of the Stone Age. I don't know that it is quite as good as their previous effort, "Songs for the Deaf". Gone is the screaming from Nick Oliveri (which is definitely a good thing -- after awhile, those tracks were the ones that I skiped on "Songs for the Deaf"). This disc contains a couple of stand-out songs that have some great guitar grooves and decent lyrics. As a whole however, it doesn't really stand out in my mind like the previous album.
• Minus The Bear - "Highly Refined Pirates": Minus The Bear is awesome! They won me over when I saw them live, and this CD is totally amazing. Great musicmanship, with innovative guitars combined with electronics. The lyrics are quirky, fun and unabashedly heterosexual -- mostly about partying and going after girls. Strongly recommended.
• Nine Inch Nails - "With Teeth": Not recommended. I bought it based on the strength of the song "The Hand That Feeds", which I saw on a long-form commercial on late night TV. That song is pretty decent, but the rest of the album doesn't faire as well. Most of it is slow, 80's-synth-pop-esque, without any driving beats or melodies that really stick in your brain. An utterly forgettable effort.
• Umbrellas - "Umbrellas": This is another solid, lo-key album. This band is from Southern California, but sound like they are from the UK. Beautiful guitars, light vocals, and an overall tight sound. The standout track is "Ghost", which is simply an amazing song. Strongly recommended.

-Andy.

Bitchin' Sleater-Kinney poster

Finally, my last post about the Sleater-Kinney concert. I bought a sweet poster, from the cover artwork for the new album:

It even came signed by the band!

-Andy.

If you squint, you can make out the band...

Sleater-Kinney, live at the Warfield. I believe that this photo is from the end of their set.

-Andy.

The Marquee

I have learned, that if you want to get a photo of the marquee for a show, you have to do it before the concert. Because they rip that sucker down during the encore.

Sleater-Kinney live in San Francisco

I just got back from seeing Sleater-Kinney play a show at the Warfield in San Francisco. And as always, they totally kicked my ass. Janet Weiss is such an awesome drummer, words just can't describe it. Which isn't to say that Corin and Carrie don't kick-ass as well. That's not what I'm trying to say at all!

The started off with "The Fox", the first track from their new album, "The Woods". I'm still not down with this new album yet, but I've only listened to it a half-dozen times. They played pretty-much everything off of the new album, including the poppy-fun song "Modern Girl" (which I think that Janet messed up), and my super-all-time-favorite (I really like this song): "Night Light". I think that "Let's Call It Love" segued right into "Night Light", just like on the album.

They also played a fair number of songs from "One Beat", including: "Combat Rock", "Step Aside", "Sympathy", "Light-Rail Coyote". But by far, the real treat, was that they played some older songs, including:

• "Was It A Lie?" (from "All Hands On The Bad One")
  
• "Not What You Want" (from "Dig Me Out")
  
• "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone" (from "Call The Doctor")
  

In fact, the entire encore was all old songs (there are probably a few that I'm forgetting). It's probably bad that I really appreciated the older stuff, but I'm still holding out hope that I'll fall in love with "The Woods", as I have with every other Sleater-Kinney album...

-Andy.

"Copy Protected CDs Suck"

Today's "new music Tuesday" was a particularly fruitful one. I went to Target on the way to work this morning, and picked up new CDs from Fall Out Boy, Nine Inch Nails, and Acceptance. I listened to the first two discs at work, but paused before I unwrapped the Acceptance disc. On the front spine, it has a funny logo and says "Content Protected". This triggered my "uh-oh" reaction, and I flipped to the back. Apparently, on Windows machines, this CD has crazy content restrictions (you can only get low quality WMA versions of the songs, which can only be transfered to certain portable players). But apparently, on the Macintosh, it behaves like a normal audio CD.

I don't know how to feel about this. A large part of me wants to return this CD to target and wash my hands of the whole thing. I don't want to send the message that by consuming this CD, that copy protection is okay. On the other hand, on the Mac it doesn't appear to be protected at all. And I buy copy-protected DVDs all of the time, and while it bugs me, I'm not out protesting in the streets.

I wrote to Sony/BMG and complained, but what I really want to do is complain to the band. I think that if bands knew that their fans were pissed off about how hard it is to transfer the songs from their legally-purchased CDs to their iPod, then something could be done about it. So, I went the to the official Acceptance website, but I didn't see an e-mail address on there anywhere. Humph!

I still haven't opened this CD, so I still have a chance to return it. I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

-Andy.

Live in SF: Straylight Run, Gratitude, and Minus The Bear

(Clockwise, from the top left: Gratitude, Straylight Run, and Minus The Bear)

Last Sunday, I went into San Francisco in order to see Straylight Run and Gratitude live at the Great American Music Hall. There were actually 5 acts on the bill. I was a little confused as to when it started, so I missed all of Spitalfield, and part of The Honorary Title.

I didn't have to wait too long for Gratitude to take the stage, and they didn't disappoint. I can still remember when I saw Far back at Peabody's Downunder in the Cleveland Flats so many years ago. Jonah really blew me away with the amount of raw energy that he was able to put into his performance. Well, it is a number of years later, but that doesn't appear to have slowed him down at all. Gratitude is definitely growing on me, especially after seeing that performance.

However, I was a bit surprised to see that Gratitude went on before Minus The Bear. I know that Gratitude is a relative newcomer, but I have never even heard of Minus The Bear before! So, I wasn't really expecting very much, but I was quite surprised by this band. As it turns out, they were pretty darn good, and deserved there place in the roster. In fact, I think that the crowd was the most enthusiastic for this band, of all of the bands that I saw. I liked their set so much, that I bought their CD "Highly Refined Pirates" after the show. I've listened to it twice now, and it is solid. Rock, with a bit of electronics thrown in.

Finally, Straylight Run took the stage, to cap a pretty long evening. The crowd had dwindled by this point, and what was left wasn't even all that enthusiastic. Which I guess sortof makes sense -- Straylight Run is a bid of an odd duck -- too many ballads to be rock, but not poppy enough to be pop. Nevertheless, those who left early missed out, because they played a solid set. Including some new songs -- well one old song, which is sometimes called "Costello" apparently, and two new ones (I think). I hope that this band makes it -- headlining this tour is good for them, but I don't know if they have that special "mainstreamy-ness" that it takes to achieve "critical mass".

I was able to bring my camera into the show, so I managed to take a few pictures and some videos as well. I'll try and post some of that stuff later, but for now, you can enjoy the banner that I made (ala Karen Cheng).

-Andy.

Album reviews

I have been buying a fair amount of music lately. I would like to do in-depth reviews of everything, but I have realized that the only way that I will get through everything is by doing quick reviews. So here it goes:

• Keane - "Hopes And Fears": A light, pleasant, Coldplayesque CD. Kevin's fine ear for music gives this band a high rating. It took me awhile to get into Keane, and I haven't had this album in heavy rotation, but it is still a solid purchase.
• The Mars Volta - "Frances The Mute": this band is into experimental, progressive, barely listenable music. I tend to only like music that is, well, music. So as a result, this album isn't going over too well with me. When The Mars Volta veer out of unlistenable territory and into actual music it is quite brilliant. If it I had a lot of free time on my hands, I could probably cut this down to an EP and make something
  enjoyable. As it stands, I wouldn't recommend this album.
• Woven Hand - "Consider The Birds": Incredible, just as Chris said. Highly recommended. David Eugene Edwards has crafted another magnificent album from start to finish. Haunting, moving, eliciting strong emotions. Musically, this album occupies just the right place between being too spartan and too overwhelming. Highly recommended.
• Gratitude: I had high hopes for this album. I like the main creative force, Jonah Matranga in his solo onelinedrawing effort, and ravenously love his previous band, Far. Unfortunately, this album seems overly bland and generic. The first time that I listened to this album, my disappointment was almost palpable. But I have listened to it more since then, and I think it might be steadily growing on me. So maybe there is some hope. But it certainly isn't Far part two. Not recommended.
• Autolux - "Future Perfect": I'm a big fan of the band Failure, which unfortunately, broke up a few years ago. Thankfully, the two master minds behind that band, Ken Andrews and Greg Edwards, continue to produce music. Ken is doing On and Year Of The Rabbit, while Greg's latest band is called Autolux. And now you know why I bought this album. On the whole, I would say that this album is decent. When the music is good it is great. In particular, the last three tracks on the album: "Asleep At The Trigger", "Plantlife", "Capital Kind Of Strain" are quite strong. The middle parts of this album tend to drag, however. Thus, I wouldn't classify this as a must-buy. If you like Failure, though, you may want to give this album a look.
• Pretty Girls Make Graves - "The New Romance": totally stupendous album. Go out and buy it immediately. This album reminds me of what rock music should be like. Solid guitars, impeccable drumming, great vocals and lyrics combined with a beat that you can really groove to.

Coming up next: The Shins - "Chutes Too Narrow", The Beta Band - "The Three E.P.'s", and Queens of the Stone Age - "Lullabies To Paralyze".

-Andy.

Straylight Run & Gratitude

I just bought my ticket to see Straylight Run & Gratitude in SF on Sunday. Rawk.

-Andy.

The Postal Service - "Give up"

In the past two weeks, The Postal Service has really been dominating my listening habits. I have gone through three distinct phases in regards to this album. But in order to describe these phases, I will also need to describe some quirks in my personality regarding how I listen to music.

The initial phase, occurred when I was first introduced to "Give Up". Michael gave me a copy in mp3 format, saying that "This is what all of the hip kids are listening to". As is my habit, music that enters the iTunes on my PowerBook tends to stay there indefinitely. Whenever I listen to my iTunes on my PowerBook, I will check out the new music that found its way onto there. If it I like what I hear, I will buy the CD. If I don't like it, then I will not by the CD, and remove the music from my computer.

It is at this point that the album will have "graduated" to a point where I can listen to it in the places where I do most of my listening: on my home stereo, in the car, and it my iTunes that at work. I feel that it is important to note that my iTunes libraries at home and at work are separate, on purpose. Only the music that I have purchased finds its way into my iTunes at work. This is how I keep discipline over myself, in regards to enforcing that I legally obtain music.

That tangent side, it took about three listens of "Give Up" for me to actively seek out and purchase the CD, bringing me to phase two of my admiration of this album. Phase two was pretty much like how I romanced any regular album - I listened to it heavily (not quite every day). "Bad" albums, or "flings", will fall out of this rotation in a week or two. "Good" albums will hold on for at least a month. "Great" albums will hold on for one to three months. "Seminal" albums will always exist in my regular rotation at some level.

Examples of some seminal albums:

• Tool - Undertow
• Tool - AEnima
• Tool - Lateralus
• 16 Horsepower - Sackcloth 'n Ashes
• Radiohead - O.K. Computer
• Massive Attack - Mezzanine
• Faith No More - King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime
• Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
• Sleeping At Last - Ghosts

For example, I listened to "Lateralus" on a daily basis for over an entire year. And I still listen to that album between two and three times per month. That is what I consider to be the quintessential "seminal" album.

Anyway, during phase 2, "Give Up" appeared as if it was on its way to only "great" status. I listened to it a bunch, including trying to infect Kevin with it. I definitely saw the value of this album, but my listening eventually tapered off sometime in early January. It could have been due to all of the new music that I received via Christmas, but I'm not sure.

But all of a sudden, "Give Up " experienced a resurgence, bringing about phase three. For the past two weeks, I have found myself listening to this album almost daily. I think it is due to a combination of this album being great, and the mood that I have then in lately. But for whatever the reason, I am totally in love with this album right now! It is too early to tell yet if this disc is going to achieve "seminal" status, but I feel that there might be a good chance...

If you haven't heard it yet, you truly owe it to yourself to go and give it a listen.

-Andy

Booty

Last week brought many new material possessions into my life (a false, yet wholly inescapable pursuit). I received one round of Amazon purchases, and the other was a valentine's gift from my family. So, what I'm listening to/watching now pretty-much revolves around this list:

• Music:
• Pretty Girls Make Graves - New Romance
• Woven Hand - Consider the Birds
• Massive Attack - Danny the Dog
• Massive Attack - Special Cases [CD-SINGLE]
• Brand New - Deja Entendu
• Snow Patrol - Final Straw
• The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Behind The Music
• The Futureheads - The Futureheads
• DVD:
• Wonderfalls - The Complete Viewer Collection
• Book:
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayers (Graphic Novel)

I'll try and do some reviews once I have completely digested all of this stuff, but I can give the early analysis. So far, Woven Hand (Chris certainly called that one) and Pretty Girls Make Graves are taking the early lead amongst the CDs. Wonderfalls totally rocks. And the Buffy graphic novel was painfully short (but quite good).

-Andy.

I think I may die of shock

I just read that one of my favorite bands, Massive Attack, is going to be playing a live show (or 2) in the U.K. In and of itself, this is pretty surprising, as Massive Attack rarely plays live these days. When they released "100th Window", I was hoping to be able to see them live again (I saw them back in Chicago when they toured in support of "Mezzanine"). However, for some reason, Massive Attack didn't really tour the US in support of the new record.

But it doesn't stop here. Supposedly, one of the Massive Attack concerts is a benefit for the tsunami victims. And at said benefit, Massive Attack is going to be joined by none-other than Portishead! Truly, a band that I had written-off for dead -- but I really hope this signals Portishead making some sort of comeback.

There is a website for the concert itself -- the details don't appear to be set in stone yet, with the exception of the dates and cost. All three dates are in the U.K. (of course), but the website pledges a webcast. I can barely wait.

-Andy.

Fall Out Boy @ the Metro

Accompanied by Kevin and Sara, I went down to Chicago last Wednesday night in order to see Fall Out Boy headline a sold-out show at the Metro. FOB played a tight set, to an enthusiastic crowd (Chicago is their home town, after all). They played at least one new song, off of the new record that they are currently recording in L.A. Pete also mentioned that the new record is scheduled to come out on May 3rd. So, Target in Sunnyvale should be expecting my patronage on that day.

On the whole, however, I think that my enthusiasm for FOB is waning a bit. By far, I have seen this band live far more than I have any other, and when you see pretty-much the same thing over and over, it naturally becomes tiring. What I'm really referring to is Pete's banter and antics. The show at the Metro was being recorded, for some possible release that is to come later. This means that Pete was even chattier than usual. At one point, during the encore, he divided the crowd in half, and tried to get them to move from one side to the other. Needless to say, as the song began, everyone on the floor of the Metro rushed to the center, causing the people trapped in the middle to get crushed schtoopid. Ug.

On the upside, FOB did play their Christmas song "Yule Shoot Your Eye Out", which I managed to hear on Sara's favorite radio station, WONC, out of North Central College. And Pete was wearing a home-made t-shirt that said "Stump Club" on the front, and "President" on the back. I didn't bring my camera inside the Metro (even though security was lax enough that I totally could have, darn it!), so I didn't get any pictures. I did find some on the web though.

-Andy.

Death Cab For Cutie Fall 2004 poster

This is the poster that I bought at last night's Death Cab concert. I could probably do a better job at capturing it in my digital camera (I think more light would be good), but this is decent enough.

-Andy.

Death Cab For Cutie & Pretty Girls Make Graves

Towards the end of bloggercon, the sleep depravation really hit me, hard. I had to get up really early this morning in order to make it to the conference, which combined with not sleeping well last night, meant that I wasn't running on much gas. So, I had to really persevere in order to make it into the city so that I could witness this concert. Well, I got my act together (helped ably by Kevin, who did all of the city driving), and it was really worth it.

I started "perking up" (i.e. getting my second wind) when Pretty Girls Make Graves came on. I had never even heard of this band before, save for Sara being jealous when I told here that I was going to see them open for Death Cab. Well, Sara was (of course) right -- they totally rocked. They sounded kindof like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, if you skewed more to rock than punk, and didn't suck. I'm sold on Pretty Girls on this point.... I tried to buy a CD after the show, but I think they were gone (or something). So, I will have to keep my eyes open.

Death Cab For Cutie was next (there was no 3rd band), and they were really great. Kevin wasn't too into Pretty Girls, but he was digging Death Cab. I am a johnny-come-lately with this band, but I am glad that I have been exposed to Death Cab -- they played a really great live show. I think that the lyrics (what I feel is the strongest aspect of Death Cab) came through quite clear. In fact, I was able to focus in on the lyrics on some of the songs more than I have on repeated listenings of the CDs. My only complaint is that they didn't play my favorite song off of "Transatlanticism", "we looked like giants". Other than that minor quibble, it was great.

I also bought a Death Cab For Cutie poster, a picture of which I will try and post later. As I trying to make the way through the crowd with my purchase, a random girl told me that it was hand silk-screened. I guess that is good, or something.

-Andy.

eMOTIVe

Chris alerted me on iChat tonight that A Perfect Circle is releasing a new CD tomorrow, entitled 'eMOTIVe'. Sonofabitch -- I had no idea this was coming out! Chris has already bought it off of iTunes, and he "lent" it to me via HTTP. So, I've been giving it a listen, and my gut-verdict is "good, but not great". But man, I have really be out of it lately. So, now I have to go to Target tomorrow after I vote. :)

-Andy.

Frou Frou - "Details"

After seeing Garden State, I was totally hooked on the song that they used to great effect at the end of the film. This song has also been used in commercials promoting the film, and I also heard it on a promo for "the Gilmore Girls". What song is this, you ask? The title is "Let Go", by a band called "Frou Frou". So, I determined that it was on their album "Details", and managed to track down a copy of his disc at Rasputin music in Berkeley over a month ago.

I've had time to digest this album, and unfortunately the rest of the disc isn't as strong as "Let Go". While there are some decent songs, taken as a whole, the album is only average -- not terrible, but not super-awesome-fantastic-great either. I think that if you are really into bands like Everything But The Girl, Esthero, or possibly even Dido -- then Frou Frou should be right up your alley. But if not, you might just want to buy "Let Go" off of iTunes and move on.

-Andy.

Brandtson live at the Pound S.F.

Last week Monday, Mike and I went down to the Pound in S.F. to see Brandtson play. Brandtson's label, The Militia Group, included a sampler CD with the issue of Alternative Press that had Fall Out Boy on the cover. I checked that disc out, and really liked the Brandtson song "Escapist". So, I bought their new album, "Send us a Signal". Many listens later, I passed it on to Sara and Kevin, and apparently, I scored direct hits with both of them. Kevin found out that they were playing S.F., and even though he flaked out, Mike and I still went and had a good time.

This band is very tight, and put on a pretty great show. I wasn't bringing my A-game in terms of energy level that night, but I was still impressed by what I heard. This band is able to change tempos on a dime, and thus can shift from hard rock to more of a lo-fi style quite easily. It seems like they were trying to accentuate their harder stuff though, and while they did play a number of songs that I like, such as "Who Are You Now?", "Mercy Medical", and "Over And Out" -- they didn't play "Escapist"! Argh! That song is the whole reason that I even got into this band in the first place.

Now I'll just have to see them again, so I can see that song live.

-Andy.

Far - Water & Solutions (& the DVD)

So, I managed to pick up Far's re-release of their final album, "Water & Solutions" in DVD format. I had some problems finding it, but when I was up in Berkeley with my parents, I found a copy at Rasputin music. That means that I have been sitting on it for awhile, but I finally got a chance to check out the DVD yesterday. I don't own very many music-oriented DVDs, so I can't say if this is great in relation to all music DVDs, but it certainly impressed me. The live footage of Far playing at the Metro in Chicago looked pretty sharp, and sounded great. So far, I am happy with the content that I am finding on this DVD, and it has been a great way for me to explore a band that I really like again. If you are at all into Far, you definitely should pick this re-release up.

I still remember the one time that I was lucky enough to see Far live. It was at a place called "Peabody's downunder" in the Cleveland flats. That place was pretty small, and the Far show was lightly attended. But they played a termendous set, and just blew me away. I think that after all of these years, that is still the single best live performance that I have ever seen. It was really, truly amazing.

Far's lead singer, Jonah Matranga has been doing a solo thing since Far dissolved, called "onelinedrawing". I have been picking up his CDs over the course of the last several months, and I have been quite happy with them. Jonah just knows how to make great music -- it's that simple. His latest CD, "The Volunteers" is decent, and growing on me. I would recommend checking it out.

-Andy.

Maynard's hair band

I just want to jot down a few notes about last Sunday's "A Perfect Circle" show, mostly things that differ from the last show that I saw (with Sara). The biggest thing about this show is that I felt that it actually sounded better than the show at the Civic Center. The SJSU Arena is just a box, nothing special, but for some reason, the band sounded better.

I think that in general, they also put on a better show. Maynard mentioned something about them playing their first two shows ever in San Jose, so I think that might have something to do with it. He also mentioned something about Dmitry and Scott, one with 3 testicles, the other with 5 testicles, but I don't know what's up with that...

Of the two songs that I really-wanted-to-hear-but-didn't from last time, I got one of them this time: "Brena". And boy, it was great. I'm still waiting to hear "Gravity" performed live, however. I may have to go and check for some bootlegs later...

The stage setup was the same as the last show -- MJK on a raised stage in the middle, James on the left (also semi-raised), Jordi in between James and MJK on the stage proper, with Billy and Josh Freese on the right side. Although Maynard is in the most prominent position, he was only lit maybe once or twice -- it is literally nearly impossible to see him. He did have a full head of hair though. And a street sign that said "MAYNARD Dr." attached to his microphone stand.

-Andy.

Quasi (a.k.a. The Janet Weiss Showcase)

So, I went to the first of two back-to-back Sleater-Kinney concerts this evening, and Quasi was the opener. Janet Weiss, is pulling double-duty playing drums for both Quasi and Sleater-Kinney -- and simply put, she is amazing. I mean, no offense to Sam Coomes, but he could have just been on stage beating his head with a cowbell and Quasi still would have played a good set -- Janet is just that good.

Unfortunately, the #1 drummer spot in my life is currently taken (Danny Carey, of Tool). But every time I see Janet perform, I am more and more impressed. She is really, truly, gunning for that #1 spot...

-Andy.

"My Heart Will Always Be The B-Side To My Tongue"

This is the new EP/DVD release from Fall Out Boy. I happened to get mine in the mail today, because I pre-ordered it a couple of weeks ago. According to Sara, it doesn't come out until Monday, but somehow, the upgraded shipping really paid off (I guess the USPS now has time-travel capabilities). And of course, being the swell older brother that I am, I called her up and rubbed it in that I got my copy, while hers has yet to arrive.

Anyways, I checked out the DVD a little bit (while Kev and I were waiting for Anjali to arrive), and it seems okay. But I just spun the EP, and it is great -- all filled with acousticy-Stumphy-greatness. I heartily recommend that you buy it.

-Andy.

clever got me this far

I went and saw "A Perfect Circle" at the Bill Graham Auditorium in San Francisco this evening. I haven't been in the best of moods lately, but I have found that really, really, really loud rock music tends to improve my state of mind significantly. Either that, or it was the 2nd hand marijuana smoke -- I suppose that I have to concede that I don't have 100% certainty in this matter.

But still, the concert was pretty great. APC certainly knows how to put on a show. I was quite pleased with how "The Package", "Weak and Powerless", and "The Outsider" turned out life. Even the songs that I am done with and tired of (i.e. "Judith", "Magdalena") still went over pretty well with me. Plus, the opening act, "The Mars Volta", didn't totally stink.

There was a crazy line to get into the venue. So, by the time that Sara and I actually got inside (and I went to the bathroom -- I had a heroic amount of tea at the restaurant that we went to with Stan), Mars Volta was already a fair amount into their set. The song that they were playing when we arrived, was absolutely horrible, and I thought it was another "once again" with the opening act. But it was not to be -- they spent the next 30 minutes digging themselves out of a tremendous hole (at least, in my esteem for their music). The lead singer wasn't really doing it for me, though, so I don't think that I'm going to be rushing out to the CD store for this one.

Back to A Perfect Circle, the only negatives for me were that they didn't play two of my favorite songs -- "Brena" and "Gravity". Plus, there was absolutely no encore -- they took the stage, played for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, and that was it. But, I can't really complain -- they had to cancel the last several dates due to illness -- so, at least the show transpired. That is what's important.

I'm still undecided if I'm going to buy tickets for the June show in San Jose. Maybe I will, in hopes that they will at least play "Gravity".

-Andy.

Links?

I just realized that I didn't post any hyperlinks in that last, er, post. So, here's one:

"Right Now"

That's a link to KoRn's new video, which I watched this evening whilst surfing around mtv.com. It's pretty gross. Mike would like it.

-Andy.