"Looks Like September has Won Once Again"

So, I went to School Kids Records today to pick up a copy of John Vanderslice's recently released "Emerald City." While not as good as "Pixel Revolt," JV has yet again created a beautiful album. It's dark with political unrest in an apocalyptic atmosphere dwelling on post 911 life. The main focus of "Emerald City" is
Vanderslice's struggle to get a visa for his French girlfriend so she could come live with him. This political element stands out the most on the final song "Central Booking." "Pixel Revolt" contained a lot of post 9-11 references, especially in "Exodus Damage," yet the references seem so much darker and cynical. The line "looks like September has won once again" in "Central Booking" is just one of those harsh statements said in political mockery. Hell, even the album title is a 9-11 reference.

Throughout "Emerald City," it suggests apocalyptic themes in the lyrics, yet Vanderslice still makes beautiful music with sounds of hope. His voice echoes loss and pain, but it also contains the call to not give up. When he played "White Dove" live - a depressingly beautiful song - his face lit up as if it were an anthem of not giving up a fight. "White Dove" is one of the strongest songs on the album as it is so beautiful. However, the entire album fits well together and the musician ship is obviously well crafted. The style ranges from acoustic to distorted acoustic with hip-hop influenced beats and his usual bells and whistles.

"Emerald City" was recorded live in JV's Tiny Telephone studio, and there are some blog videos going around of some of these sessions. The video to one of these is the first song off of the album "Kookaburra," and it can be found at :Kookaburra

Or you can download White Dove

I highly recommend that you pick up "Emerald City" because it's on the fast track to being one of this year's best.

C'mon, support the kindest person in indie rock.




Peace, Love and Keep Rock Alie

I'd just like to let everyone know:

Porcupine Tree will be playing in Raleigh at the Lincoln Theater on Thursday October 11th.

If you're cool, you will be there and you will enjoy it :D.



Peace Love and Keep Rock Alive

As If We Didn't See It Coming

As many of you know, 2007 has been a year of hit or miss "reunion" albums. Dinosaur Jr.'s Beyond was superb and they met the high expectations demanded of them while the Smashing Pumpkins... well... you get the picture.

I'm going to go ahead and admit that Matchbox Twenty is one of my guilty pleasures. They just had something about them. Sure they had a bunch of cheesy love songs, but they also had something that made them more than just a stupid pop rock band. After hearing their new song (which can be found on the MB20 website - www.matchboxtwenty.com) I realize what it is that made them great because it's the same thing that this new song lacks. There was always some sort of background layering via horns, keyboards or strings that added a dark mystique to the band's music. Now they just sound plain. There is nothing to make them stand out against the rest of the pop music world. I'm sure that as un-stimulating as this song is, it will get massive press and radio play making the situation even worse. Then again maybe I'm just bias because I'll never forgive Rob Thomas for going solo and making really annoying music.




-Peace, Love and Keep Music Alive!

Finally, a Post!

The New Pornographers: Challengers
80

The New Pornographers are one of those bands that makes me irrefutably happy. I’m not sure if it’s Ms. Case’s voice, Dan Bejar’s eccentricities, or A.C Newman’s deft songwriting. All I know is that when together, this band makes incredible music. However, it’s always been somewhat in the same vein. Over the course of three albums, the New Pornographers only enjoyed minor changes. The transition from Mass Romantic to The Electric Version consisted mainly of better production and tightened songwriting. Twin Cinema was a more commercial and disjointed effort. However, with Challengers, everything has changed. Gone are the boisterous rockers like “All For Swinging You Around,” or “Use It.” In their place, we have slow-paced, atmospheric tunes like “Challengers,” and “Unguided,” songs that focus upon beauty to win your heart, as opposed to the toe-tapping infection that was the calling card of many prior Pornographer singles. Bejar’s contributions, including the immaculate “Myriad Harbor,” seem less like songs he wrote for the New Pornographers and more like Destroyer songs that Newman was incredibly fond of.

Challengers, nonetheless, is much more cohesive than previous releases, though this isn’t saying much considering the eclectic nature of the Pornographers. It’s main problem lies not in a lack of creativity, talent, or technical skill. Neko’s voice is still brilliant, Bejar’s lyrics are still vaguely intriguing, and Newman still writes pop songs with the best of them. It’s just that the album almost seems to lack charm. “All the Old Showstoppers,” tries to have a different country vibe, but just becomes lost between “My Rights Versus Yours,” and “Myriad Harbor.” “All the Things that go Make Heaven and Earth,” retains the old energy of past albums, but it just seems like it was tossed in to show Old Pornographers that the band hasn’t lost its spark. “Failsafe,” has a guitar intro that’s so reminiscent of “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” that it makes me hope that Newman knows as little about Green Day as he did about Phoenix University.

It’s the album that we knew to expect the unexpected from, Newman has been warning us about a new direction for quite some time. But the question remains, is it all a change for the better? My vote goes for no. Even though Challengers is a good album, it’s not a great album, and my admiration for the band and its individual members clouds my ability to judge this album upon its own merits. If anything, I should have seen it coming. Newman’s been carrying the band for years, and his solo album was spectacular. Neko’s last release was immaculate, but she’s never really contributed more than her voice to the New Pornographers. Bejar’s with the band in spirit, and he tosses his songs over, and they fit well, but only because the band has swung in his direction, not because he wrote the songs for the band. I was disappointed with Challengers, but it’s an album that stays true to its title. It’s a challenge for established fans to listen to. Honestly, Bejar offers the best lyrics and the best songs, and the album serves to bolster my opinion of him as a musical genius. As for Newman, it’s a job well done, with splendid production (strings and everything!) but the songs just lack that charm that every other New Pornographers release was overflowing with.

Spoon: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
93

Let me start this by saying that there once was a time when Spoon made me quite irritated. They were the darlings of the indie rock world, after their one-two punch of Kill the Moonlight and Gimmie Fiction, even CNN was hailing them as the saviors of rock and roll. All the while, I was perplexed. Britt Daniel didn’t have an immaculate voice; the songs themselves weren’t mind-blowing, if anything they were just stripped-down samples of greater works.

But now I think I get it. I understand Spoon’s appeal now. After losing all of my music, I scoured the Internet for the latest leaks and releases, and Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was on the top of my list, because I just had to figure it out. Spoon was a puzzle, an enigma. Just what made them so great? And as it turns out, after giving Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga a fair shake, it’s the simplicity that I once loathed that makes Spoon so great. Track seven, “The Underdog,” has become one of my favorite songs ever. It’s not a sweeping epic, it doesn’t do anything that’s never been done before, it’s just something that’s rarely made these days, a good old-fashioned rock song. Putting it on makes me think of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, bands who tossed off instantly accessible rock with enough wit and charm to win over even the most hardened critics. And it all seems too easy. Every song on the album has a sort of off-the-cuff feel to it, as if it was written in some basement and recorded in a few takes, effortlessly and without the slightest error.

There’s not much to say about this album, over analyzing it betrays the point. It’s an album that encourages sheer delight. I can’t imagine anyone listening to “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb,” and not being even the least bit pleased. This is music your parents should love. Not because it’s adult contemporary shit, but because it’s timeless. It harkens back to an age where artists were encouraged to explore the musical landscape and were rewarded with both critical accolades and public superstardom. I understand what CNN was talking about so long ago. Spoon is an old-fashioned rock and roll band, a beast that’s become endangered in recent years.

Stars: In Our Bedroom After the War
80

This album’s been getting quite a bit of buzz lately, both for its interesting pre-release and for it’s supposed quality. After Set Yourself on Fire, an album that shocked me, that came out the blue and shouted, “There Canadian bands other than the New Pornographers!” It was a touching, well-crafted album focused around sacrifice and love, two topics that often can lead artists to fall flat on their faces when they approach them earnestly (the most successful of them doing so with one hand full of pure emotion and another filled with bitter humor, a balance that Morrissey pulled off skillfully in his glory days).

And boy do those Stars ever shine with heartbreak and sorrow, though the angst is a bit toned down this time. Songs like “Personal,” a nearly spoken-word conversation between Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan are filled with melodrama, yet they’re somehow effective, despite their heavy-handed nature. However, that isn’t to say that this is an album that doesn’t have ridiculous mis-steps. "The Ghost of Genova Heights," is one of those songs that raises alarms in my head, that makes me wonder just why it was included on the album. The disco-laden chorus just makes me cry, and not in the same artsy way that I know Stars wants me to. Somewhere, Prince is wondering why when he influences people, it never works out well. Also, "Barricade," is just an example of a vocalist trying to overextend his own talents, as Campbell does. However, there are gems on this album, and when it succeeds, it does so marvelously. "Take Me to the Riot," is a song that somehow mixes Interpol (I say Interpol instead of Joy Division because Joy Division is criminally overrated, despite their influence), the Kaiser Chiefs, and classic Stars and the result is a joyous sing-along that’s immediately followed by the poppy "My Favorite Book," a song with a chorus so undeniably sultry and catchy that it makes you wonder why no one had written it before.

So does the album live up to all of the hype? I’d say it does…the first impression isn’t nearly as strong as Light Yourself on Fire’s was, even though they both share the same “epic first track with creepy recorded voice,” theme. Over time, I think my opinion of this album will improve, but it still stands as a well-produced and emotionally charged piece of work from a band that should be on everybody’s radar.

Best Tour News...Ever?

So what do the National in their future, after releasing the year's best album and putting forth some amazing shows?

A world tour of course. And since we're Elon folks, this newly announced tour is of particular interest because they'll be showing up at Cat's Cradle on September 7th. Combine that with the news that the Clientele will be opening for Peter Bjorn & John on September 11th, and Stars will be making an appearance on October 26th, it makes me wonder if I should even bother going to school at all this year.


Boxer: Still better than everything else this year.

The National
Peter Bjorn and John
The Clientele
Stars

Wait...A Record Exec Who Isn't a Moron?

An interesting article in the Economist this week highlighted the record industry's pains in a new light, fueled by a quote from Edgar Bronfman, the chairman of Warner Music, that went as follows..."The music industry is growing. The record industry is not growing." And looking at the stats, it makes perfect sense. Concert revenues have increased from $1.7 billion in 2000 to $3.1 billion in 2006. The Economist uses the Police as an example as to how focusing on performances and merchandising can help the record labels recover a least a little bit...top seats for the Police's comeback tour can reach up to $900, while all of their records can be purchased for around $100.

As the CD finally dies (took long enough...geez) the money music fans would have been spending on albums can now be pushed into concerts and merchandise, creating a strange universe in which albums now promote tours, as opposed to tours being treated as massive ads for the album.


There's Mr. Brofman...he's looks surprisingly un-evil for a record exec.

When the Reason for Revolution is Pure

Some of you think I over-hype this band, but I maintain my stance that they have serious potential. Pure Reason Revolution, dropped by Sony because Sony didn't promote them at all therefore did not accumulate many record sales, is now on some European indie label going it on their own. While we wait for another release (that probably won't hit the US physically for a while), they have given us a free song,
Victorious Cupid.

(Don’t be intimidated by the zip file, it’s safe and straight from their myspace)

This song is proof that PRR can still keep up their epic vocal harmonies and kick-ass progressive sound.

While some might not agree, I think these guys have some hope of making a decent name for themselves. If you prefer to watch them perform this new song, check out the video (the sound quality is good up until the end of the song, but don't pay attention to the quality at the end... pay attention to the double drums:

Keep in mind this was the opening act for Blackfield. Steven Wilson apparently loves these guys and I can actually imagine PRR being a better LIVE act than Blackfield. I hope that somehow they get some good US publicity so that they'll do an actual tour and not just play NEARfest (the big US prog festival). After NEARfest and supporting Porcupine Tree in the UK, they are going into the studio to work on their sophomore effort... proving that 2008 has serious potential to kick the ass of 2007. '07 is already going to be a hard year to beat, but only time and my ears will be able to tell.


While talking about modern "progressive" rock and Steven Wilson, rumors have surfaced that this fall will bring a 4 song EP from the Fear of a Blank Planet sessions. Also, as rumored - and is looking like reality - PT will most likely embark on another US tour in the fall. Already they have been booked for VOODOO Fest in October (with the likes of, yes... you probably didn't guess...Wilco, Spoon, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and many more recognizable indie bands).

Anyways, there's the update and I hope you enjoy the new PRR song.

Peace, Love and Keep Music Alive!!!!

The Hives Tour Once Again!

However, they'll be opening for Maroon 5. Let's allow that to sink in for a little bit.

Yeah, it doesn't make any sense over here either. In one hand you have bland, shit pop. In the other, you have badass Swedes. This can only mean one thing...those with good taste will be leaving Maroon 5's shows as soon as the Hives pack up and ditch the stage.

Also, the tour starts in Michigan on September 29th. Michigan? Other than the White Stripes and that Sufjan album, what has Michigan contributed lately?


Presumably they're running away from confused and bewildered fans.

Half Full? Half Empty? The Only Thing That Matters Is That I'm Still Thirsty

Okay so usually I would do something like this at the end of the year, but since this year has been filled with so much musical gold... I'll signify this as the halfway point.

It seems like every band is coming out with an album this year. Most of them fairly good, but a handful of outstanding pieces.


Here’s how this works: I’m going to rave about the albums I love, rant about the ones that disappointed me, and just list the others that were released because I started this list earlier writing a paragraph for each album and I ended up with over 5 pages.

!!! – Myth Takes

Air – Pocket Symphony

Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha

Apples in Stereo put out Magnetic Wonder - I had high expectations for this album and I ended up being highly disappointed. There were a few good songs on it, but I didn't think it had potential to stand up as an album.

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Arctic Monkeys - Favorite Worst Nightmare: Snore...

The Beastie Boys – The Mix Up

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club has Bruce Willis to talk about their new album Baby 81 – Unlike the critics, Bruce apparently likes B.R.M.C.’s new album. I like how this album combines their distorted sound that they had for their first 2 albums with the nice acoustic rock from “Howl.” I’m going to go ahead and pick this as one of my favorites of the first half.

Blackfield got more recognition with Blackfield II than I expected – The project of “David Bowie of Israel” Aviv Geffen and genius English producer Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree and about 1 million (an exaggeration…but only a slight one) other projects. Aviv wrote most of the dark, progressive pop songs because Steven has a self admitted problem of not being able to write many songs under 5 minutes. The album is beautiful, grim and catchy as hell. Much to my pleasure and surprise, they did well amongst the critics and the College Music Journal (CMJ) charts. Apparently a live DVD and Blackfield III are both in the works. Need I point out that this is an obvious favorite of mine this year?

Bright Eyes - Cassadaga

Chris Cornell disappointed me with Carry On – I mistakenly had high hopes for Cornell’s second solo album after his first – Euphoria Morning – was beyond superb. Let me just say this, there are a few good songs but damn does a majority of the album sound forced!!!!! It sounds like he’s bored as hell and thus making the album… you guessed it! Boring as hell! Chris, you were awesome once but you should just stick to your restaurant and your clothing line for the rest of your life.

The Comas surprised me with Spells – This album made me realize that they are one of the best catchy indie-pop bands out there. This album, while not all songs shine, has some brilliant songs that will get stuck in your head. Maybe not one of the best of the year, but certainly memorable enough for me to give it an honorable mention this year.

The Dear Hunter debuted with Act II: Something something really long name – Fantastic album. Most definitely one of my favorites of the year. Usually I’m not a fan of their vocal type, but after a few listens I really started to dig the sound. It’s almost like …Trail of Dead but much darker. There is some really cool instrumentation involved and it feels fairly progressive. Check it out.

Derek Webb - The Ringing Bell

Devin Townsend blew my mind with Ziltoid the Omniscient – Quite possibly one of the best albums that will be released in this era of music. Not only is it an original concept album about an alien who goes to destroy Earth because he was not satisfied with the cup of coffee that it produced, but also it is an album where you can actually hear the creator enjoying what he is doing. Yes, it is so rare to actually be able to tell that an artist is really having fun with a record. I mean lots of artists have fun writing and recording… but to actually HEAR it, that’s something to be said. This will be in my top 5 at the end of this year.

Dinosaur Jr - Beyond

Explosions in the Sky - All of the Sudden I Miss Everyone

Fields impressed me as a new band with Everything Last Winter – They’re from some European country, and they have a nice folksy rock sound. I haven’t listened to the album in a while, but it is memorable enough for me to say they’re one of the new artists that I’ll be keeping my eye on.

Golden Smog – Blood on the Slacks

John Doe – The dude from X – put out A Year In the Wilderness – I should know this because I stuffed his CDs into countless envelopes at Yep Roc. It’s a good alternative album with some cool guests like one of the Black Keys. A decent album and it’s worth giving a shout out to a punk veteran.

Kelly Jones (Stereophonics lead dude) – Only the Names Have Been Changed

Manic Street Preachers - Send Away The Tigers

Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank

The National kicked the “sophomore slump” in the bum with Boxer – I have a feeling the other writers on this blog will agree that “Boxer” is an outstanding album for this year, and the National is one of those bands that will be recognized as a great indie rock outfit in the coming years.

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero: Another one of those albums that will end up on my top 5 at the end of the year. ½ of its awesomeness is because of the concept around the album promotion. There is this whole online “game” involved and a really complex setting for the album to take place. It’s basically 1984 with Trent Reznor. Oh yeah and the music’s sweet too because instead of whining about his problems, he whines about the country and its problems.

Porcupine Tree – Fear of a Blank Planet: As most of you know, Porcupine Tree is my favorite modern band in existence. This album did not disappoint. In fact, screw top 5 of the year, this baby’s going in the top 5 ever made.

Rufus Wainwright – Release The Stars

Rush – Snakes & Arrows

Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger

Sea and Cake – Everybody

Soulsavers – It’s not how far you fall, It’s how you land: Without question one of Mark Lanegan’s finest contributions to the music world. This album is in my top 5, without question (I guess I’m going to have to make a top 10 at the end of the year instead). It’s hard to explain the awesomeness of this record… it just is. Think Air meets Johnny Cash.

Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga: Quite possibly their finest album to date. The first single “The Underdog” is a very catchy anthem that I will most likely play on repeat for a while.

The Stooges – The Weirdness

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – Living with the Living

They Might Be Giants – The Else

White Stripes – Icky Thump

Wilco – Sky Blue Sky: A nice peaceful turn for Wilco. Reminiscent of their Being Their days with a new jazzy undertone. This album is a bore to those who only appreciate the complexity of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born. For those that want a nice hammock album, Wilco made SBS just for you to listen to and relax.

Winterpills – The Light Divides: Marvelous album that contains catchy folk songs and beautiful vocal harmonies. Stunning album and it sounds fresh every time you listen to it.

I know I left out a lot because a) my iTunes recognizes some albums as 2006 for some reason and I’m too lazy to go pick them out and b) Can anyone keep track of every single release from the numerous mentionable artists releasing stuff this year?

We have a lot to look forward to with the next half of the year such as John Vanderslice, The New Pornographers, tons of other bands I don’t want to dig up a list of and hopefully a new Radiohead album.

The main question in my mind is… will 2008 be even better? Steven Wilson is rumored to have a solo album coming out, Opeth is going to release an album and I’m sure we’ll see a lot of the bands with 2006 releases trying to follow up (2006 had some great stuff… but 2007 stomped the hell out of it within the first 4 months). Oh hey… and did I mention that Weezer has a new album coming out in the beginning of 2008? Yeah, well they do (hopefully).


As usual I wrote this late at night/early in the morning and it is absurdly long and I’m sure full of countless grammatical errors and typos. Just ignore my unprofessionalism and go get some good 2007 music.


Peace, Love and Keep Music Alive!!!
-DJ KMA



P.S. Someone teach me how to do Expandable Post Summaries for the sake of us all.

The Newest Pornographers

New Pornographers.
New album.
New song.
Written by Dan Bejar.

I think this all speaks for itself. Combine this with "My Rights Versus Yours," and you've got yourself an album that everyone should be holding their breath for.

Actually, don't. You might die.

Myriad Harbour



Apparently A.C Newman wrote most of his songs while lumberjacking.

Alvin Goes Indie

So everyone knows the chipmunks right? You know, Alvin, Simon, Theodore, the whole gang. Well, it turns out that they've collaborated with Ashley Yao and John Chao of Misha to make a damn good song, despite the whole chipmunk voice thing going on. Stereogum recently put them on the almighty Artist to Watch list, meaning their listeners just jumped from 5 to 10, myself included.

Cruelist Heart, the one with the rodents
Summersend


Look at how cute they are!

When the Shacks are a Shakin'... Legends are Born

Everyone not living under a rock at the present moment is aware of the Decemberists. The instrumentation causes you to escape to a ship and sing a lonely sailor song.

Now... Imagine that the Decemberists (and no offense to the wonderful music of the superb Oregon band) grew balls, enjoyed several lines of cocaine and became 100% Hillbilly. Have the image in your head and the sound in your ears?

Welcome to the Legendary Shack Shakers. Specifically, I'm talking about the album Pandelirium - released last year. The world of J.D. Wilkes is a freakishly crazy and beautiful one.

Originally the band (from Tennessee) started out as a Rockabilly outfit... but then they found their way into originality. The album "Believe" is a tame start compared to its predecessor... Pandelirium. If you take the words pandemonium and delirium, you have this album. Now I listen to a lot of music and it is rare that I am THIS blown away by an album, but damn if this is not one of the best albums I have ever heard, I don't know what is!!!!!

The first song is what I would call "swamp metal" because of it's rough... but swamp like texture. The whole swamp feel carries on throughout the album and the use of harmonica and accordion is just plain sick.

Before I continue... CHECK OUT THIS ALBUM!!!!!!

Anyways, they Shack Shakers have a new album coming out in September. I have heard it. It is good, but severely underwhelming. In fact you should probably check it out before you check out the mind-blowing Pandelirium.

And while the new album might not have a sound of hillbilly's on crack, the live act is rumored to be one of the best shows you can ever see in your life. These people are crazy (search YouTube for "shack shakers dwarf" and you'll find a news report which includes JD riding a dwarf in the Netherlands or somewhere like that) and the energy is apparently through the roof.

If you can't already tell, I'm writing this little segment late at night. I am tired and I really don't know what the point I'm trying to make is... if I'm trying to make a point at all.

Long story short (ignoring my writing errors) The Shack Shakers frigging RULE! It's a sound that I cannot explain. You'll just have to check out "Pandelirium" for yourself.





Peace, Love and Keep Music Alive!
-DJ KMA (R. Sweeney)

Rilo Kiley Does Porn

Jenny Lewis and Co. have a new song and video up at www.themoneymake.com, appropriately titled "The Moneymaker." The video is prefaced by nine minutes of interviews with porn stars, some of which have awesome names like 'Tommy Gunn' and 'Faye Runaway.' Names like that make me wish I could do porn - sigh. The interviews set up the meh video, which would be a complete bore if it weren't for the absolutely gorgeous Lewis (who has never looked better.)

Despite the so-so video, "The Moneymaker" is quickly becoming one of my favorite current songs. The song has a new more dangerous sound that is definitely a departure for Rilo Kiley, one that may be met with screams of despair from hardcore fans. I for one think the new sound is a good thing. While I love "Portions for Foxes" just as much as the next guy, some of the band's other stuff bored me to tears. The bassline and guitar hook have me anticipating the new album more now than ever before.

Under The Blacklight is out on August 21st.

There is, apparently, a light that goes out

So the Morrissey show at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston has been re-scheduled for this Saturday, the 7th. Of course, I can't make it up to Boston in time, leaving me with a ticket that's basically worthless. Bleh. At least it's a legit problem, since he's canceled a gajillion other shows. Now, after looking at his myspace right after he walked off stage and never returned, it's obvious that people have conflicting opinions on the whole rescheduling issue, with some fans being very worrysome and wishing the Moz the best, while others have turned their back to him.

Try and guess which group I've sided with.

Anyways, this would be a good place to put a link to one of Morrissey's new songs, or that fateful David Letterman performance where he apparently got so ill, but my moratorium on Morrissey is still ongoing.


Morrissey doing what he used to do best...singing.

A Bowie Less Strange

So Dan Bejar premiered some new material under the guise of his band Destroyer (but does anyone really think it's a band?) and by jove, the songs are splendid? Of course, coming off of an album as good as Destroyer's Rubies, what could you expect? They're both up on youtube if you're the visual sort, but I've always felt that Bejar's best when played in the background whilst reading a fine piece of literature, or a lyrics site in an attempt to understand what the hell he's singing about.


He even looks musical!

Foam Hands, the better of the two
Rivers, a song presumably about water?

The Best Band to Make 70's TV Show Theme Songs

The Go! Team, arguably the best band to wake up to, have tossed out another sampler from their new album, though it's on some German site. Luckily, the Go! Team isn't exactly a generic looking band, so if your Kraut is a bit rusty, you'll still be able to listen to "The Wrath of Marcie." Best of luck trying to figure out what it's about.

German Go! Team Goodness

Zeitgeist: The Early Review

There’s an inherent problem with band reunions, reformations, and renovations. Expectations can fly around everywhere, soaring and plummeting like vultures on crack. Chris Cornell and the majority of Rage Against the Machine put together? What could go wrong? Oh wait…there was that complete lack of creativity and passion, leading to Audioslave becoming one of those gateway bands you listen to in middle school and look back on years later, thinking, “This was what I adored?” Then there’s the likes of the New Pornographers, a band so random in its main elements (Neko Case’s gorgeous country vocals, A. C Newman’s love of old-school pop, and Bejar’s pseudo-Bowie insanity) that it’s a wonder that it’s become arguably the best supergroup on the market.

So when Billy Corgan placed that ad in that Chicago newspaper right after his shitty, shitty solo album debuted, Pumpkinheads around the world were all chattering amongst themselves. Will D’Arcy be back? Have Corgan and Iha buried the hatchet? Slowly everyone realized that only Jimmy Chamberlin would return, because he’s the only person who doesn’t have an intense hatred for Corgan, and that Random Bass-playing chick #3 would replace D’Arcy, and a John Cussack look-alike would replace Iha.

But enough of all of this introduction bull, what about the album? What about the album that the world has been fighting itself over, one half hoping for a return to the mid-90’s Pumpkins and the rest not caring? Finally, about a week prior to release, it has leaked, and despite the early promise of the lead single “Tarantula,” Zeitgeist does indeed disappoint. The problem is that the Pumpkins originally had this sort of underdog feel to them, this outsider vibe that Corgan based his strange views of love and lonliness upon. Yes, he was emo, but the way in which he expressed his angst, through a bizarre mix of brutal area-rock and soft, playful love songs, was fresh and in the end, uplifting. Headbangers could ignore numbers like “Tonight, Tonight” and “Thirty-Three” and still be pleased by the monstrous riffs of “Bodies” and “Zero.” The freaks and ghouls appreciated Corgan’s acceptance of his eccentric tastes, even when he put down the guitar and took up the goth pop of Adore that incredibly underrated album that signaled the end of the Pumpkins’ mainstream success.

So how is it that Corgan, who once made the gigantic 28 song Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and the five EPs that followed, who wrote an incredibly song about his mentally troubled brother, and who could even make a song titled “Mayonnaise” into a fantastic rocker, make an album that makes the listener feel so little? It’s obvious that Corgan wants to be popular again, the predominance of the guitars and sing-along choruses on Zeitgeist make that obvious, but he’s trying to attain popular success only by retaining the superficial elements that made the Pumpkins popular. The guitars are just there; hitting the same notes on every song, seemingly a distant echo of solos and riffs long since delegated to the past. The lyrics are bland, with Corgan channeling Earth, Wind, and Fire by reassuring us that “We all are stars.”

Since the cover art of the statue of liberty drowning in a red sea debuted, I had been hoping that perhaps, Zeitgeist would be driven by the themes relevant to this era, isolation in an age of connectivity, fear of the future, paranoia about the present. Instead, he sings about loving someone because he’s alive on “That’s the Way (My Love Is)” and shouts “(Come On) Let’s Go!” Just so Mr. Corgan knows, parenthesis in song titles is nearly always retarded, no matter how many white robes and capes you may wear. I’ve been listening to a lot of Eels lately, and though E may have some cheesy lyrics, at least when he sings about the way he loves on “Ugly Love,” it seems earnest and heartfelt. Corgan, throughout the album, verges on near parody, seemingly reading the lyrics off of a teleprompter and yelping, whining, and growling at all the appropriate times without the actual soul that gave his voice such conviction years and years ago. Even MACHINA II, that never released sequel to the disaster that was MACHINA I had more soul and more energy in it than Zeitgiest does.

So for a quick rundown of the album…
1. Doomsday Clock- A rather simple rocker, but still likeable nonetheless.
2. 7 Shades of Black- A very good chorus highlighting Corgan’s big-headed, do-it-yourself attitude split up by up-tempo verses that get the job done.
3. Bleeding the Orchid- Other than Tarantula, this is easily my favorite track off of the album. It’s the only one that actually seems to contain any sort of buildup and emotional weight, with Corgan attacking those who bleed whatever the orchid is (I’d like the think it’s a political metaphor, but knowing Corgan, it’s probably about people being mean to him). Also, Corgan sings along with himself, leading me to question whether or not he’s been cloned.
4. That’s the Way (My Love Is)- Despite having stupid lyrics, it reminds me of the lighter songs off of MACHINA I like “Try, Try, Try,” and “This Time,” both of which I thought were great. Plus 10 points for sounding like a song I like.
5. Tarantula- Everyone’s heard it, it’s all over the radio, and it’s a great song.
6. Starz- I don’t want Billy Corgan to tell me I’m a star. I want him to tell me that emptiness is loneliness and loneliness is cleanliness, etc. However, the guitar is pretty good.
7. United States- A 10 minute deluge of boredom until the last third, when the pace picks up, Corgan stops saying “revolution” over and over again, and you know it’ll soon be time for a new song.
8. Neverlost- The opening riff for this is so stolen from a Red Hot Chili Peppers song. It has to be. I can’t place it right now, but it’s totally from a Peppers song. And, since Peppers aren’t Pumpkins, this song feels very out of place.
9. Bring The Light- Yeah, we get it Corgan. You’re happy. You’ve never felt so good. Honestly, I think this song is probably going to be the second single. It just feels right. It’s not the old Pumpkins, but it’s catchy enough to be respected. The riff feels like U2 though…
10. (Come On) Let’s Go!- What do you get if you mix Mellon Collie’s guitars with a poorly written song? This.
11. For God and Country- It’s good enough. Not much really to say about it.
12. Pomp and Circumstances- Dumb song, singing stolen from the Flaming Lips, but somehow it kinda works. Don’t ask me how.

FINAL VERDICT: 6/10, a bit above average simply because I loved the Pumpkins. At the end of the album, you’ll be hard-pressed to remember one moment when you went “WOW! That’s amazing!” or even, “Wow,” for that matter. And then you’ll queue up Siamese Dream and it’ll be all okay.