My Spins
I have been busy listening to all kinds of music in the past month due to reviewing some albums (which takes a lot longer these days due to work) and my subscription to emusic and of course the iTunes Music Store. Four cds a month from emusic for only $9.99 is simply unbelievable.
emusic is probably the best place to start. I actually found Toto's Falling In Between and instantly downloaded it although I feared I would be disappointed by its content. I was right, I really didn't enjoy the album. There are a couple of songs worth hearing, but the album overall is a waste of their talent. If Through the Looking Glass, one of Toto's first albums free from Sony/Columbia, was an indication of what kind of music they write and record when they don't have to please eager executives looking over their shoulders for a hit, then FIB is solid evidence of what I feared being manifested. The Slow Wonder from A.C. Newman (The New Pornographers) has been my favorite from emusic lately. I can't get enough of "Miracle Drug" and "On the Table". The music pops along and I can't get the melodies out of my head. The Fire Theft's first album (reformed Sunny Day Real Estate) is a different type of album ranging from piano ballads to rock operas of Pink Floyd proportions. Enigk's voice is still ever present and does not disappoint, although I still want to hear something along the lines of How It Feels To Be Something On.
My iTunes library is similar to the national debt. Switchfoot's latest, Nothing Is Sound, has some good songs on it including the single "Stars", but was a bit of a disappointment to me. Similarities across multiple songs bore me easily and I don't like getting lost while listening to a cd. I have been a fan since The Legend of Chin and had all the albums before "Meant to Live" hit. Their sound has grown, but the variety seems to have been negated. The Animal Years from Josh Ritter is one of the best albums I have heard in a while. I first heard "Girl in the War" on a Paste Magazine sampler and couldn't wait to download the entire album (with bonus track in tow from iTunes). "Girl in the War" is still my favorite song on the album, but "Thin Blue Vein", "Wolves", and "Lillian, Egypt" give it fierce competition. I Wish We All Could Win, the latest from The Afters, is a solid rock album with a few quiet ballads. One of their songs is theme song for some Mtv reality show (the downfall of music television and video hits one) if that actually means something. I really like the vocals and guitars and wasn't disappointed. Downhere's Wide-Eyed and Mystified is a different album altogether. Two vocalists take turns in this four piece featuring piano, guitar, bass, and drums. You would swear that one of them is attempting to sound like he's with The Darkness or D.C. Talk, but he thankfully never commits, allowing enjoyment to occur. Downhere picks some moments to rock and brings a Coldplay/U2 vibe to their sound at some key moments before going the way of modern rock or piano based ballads.
Indiana Gregg, my latest review was on Something Like Me, brings a great pop blend of soul, rock, folk, and blues to the top 40 market. She's more of a hit across the Atlantic, but should be over here also. What pop fan wouldn't want to hear vocals which blend Alanis, Sophie B. Hawkins, and Ani DiFranco? It was a good debut album and her website www.indianagregg.com is up and running. Check it out to get a sample of her sound (songs play after the site fully loads) or check out her myspace page for more clips.
Keane has a new album coming out soon and I hope it can somehow out do their debut, Hopes and Fears. I have only heard one track from the album and am curious how they plan to maintain the keyboard, drums, and bassline (without a bassist on tour with them) sound without getting boring. I guess Depeche Mode managed something similar to that, but they had two key pounders going at it simutaniously. I want Keane's new album regardless of whether they stay true to the keys or not, and I am also looking to purchasing Carey Ott's Lucid Dream. I bought the Ep after downloading "Am I Just One" from the Paste Download Vault and couldn't stop singing the song for probably a month. That was before the blowup from being played on Grey's Anatomy, gag, network dramas. All four songs from the Ep are on the new album, but there are ten new ones if you include the two iTunes bonus tracks included with the album. It's hard not to buy it. Almost like not supersizing for $.20 extra.
Ryan
emusic is probably the best place to start. I actually found Toto's Falling In Between and instantly downloaded it although I feared I would be disappointed by its content. I was right, I really didn't enjoy the album. There are a couple of songs worth hearing, but the album overall is a waste of their talent. If Through the Looking Glass, one of Toto's first albums free from Sony/Columbia, was an indication of what kind of music they write and record when they don't have to please eager executives looking over their shoulders for a hit, then FIB is solid evidence of what I feared being manifested. The Slow Wonder from A.C. Newman (The New Pornographers) has been my favorite from emusic lately. I can't get enough of "Miracle Drug" and "On the Table". The music pops along and I can't get the melodies out of my head. The Fire Theft's first album (reformed Sunny Day Real Estate) is a different type of album ranging from piano ballads to rock operas of Pink Floyd proportions. Enigk's voice is still ever present and does not disappoint, although I still want to hear something along the lines of How It Feels To Be Something On.
My iTunes library is similar to the national debt. Switchfoot's latest, Nothing Is Sound, has some good songs on it including the single "Stars", but was a bit of a disappointment to me. Similarities across multiple songs bore me easily and I don't like getting lost while listening to a cd. I have been a fan since The Legend of Chin and had all the albums before "Meant to Live" hit. Their sound has grown, but the variety seems to have been negated. The Animal Years from Josh Ritter is one of the best albums I have heard in a while. I first heard "Girl in the War" on a Paste Magazine sampler and couldn't wait to download the entire album (with bonus track in tow from iTunes). "Girl in the War" is still my favorite song on the album, but "Thin Blue Vein", "Wolves", and "Lillian, Egypt" give it fierce competition. I Wish We All Could Win, the latest from The Afters, is a solid rock album with a few quiet ballads. One of their songs is theme song for some Mtv reality show (the downfall of music television and video hits one) if that actually means something. I really like the vocals and guitars and wasn't disappointed. Downhere's Wide-Eyed and Mystified is a different album altogether. Two vocalists take turns in this four piece featuring piano, guitar, bass, and drums. You would swear that one of them is attempting to sound like he's with The Darkness or D.C. Talk, but he thankfully never commits, allowing enjoyment to occur. Downhere picks some moments to rock and brings a Coldplay/U2 vibe to their sound at some key moments before going the way of modern rock or piano based ballads.
Indiana Gregg, my latest review was on Something Like Me, brings a great pop blend of soul, rock, folk, and blues to the top 40 market. She's more of a hit across the Atlantic, but should be over here also. What pop fan wouldn't want to hear vocals which blend Alanis, Sophie B. Hawkins, and Ani DiFranco? It was a good debut album and her website www.indianagregg.com is up and running. Check it out to get a sample of her sound (songs play after the site fully loads) or check out her myspace page for more clips.
Keane has a new album coming out soon and I hope it can somehow out do their debut, Hopes and Fears. I have only heard one track from the album and am curious how they plan to maintain the keyboard, drums, and bassline (without a bassist on tour with them) sound without getting boring. I guess Depeche Mode managed something similar to that, but they had two key pounders going at it simutaniously. I want Keane's new album regardless of whether they stay true to the keys or not, and I am also looking to purchasing Carey Ott's Lucid Dream. I bought the Ep after downloading "Am I Just One" from the Paste Download Vault and couldn't stop singing the song for probably a month. That was before the blowup from being played on Grey's Anatomy, gag, network dramas. All four songs from the Ep are on the new album, but there are ten new ones if you include the two iTunes bonus tracks included with the album. It's hard not to buy it. Almost like not supersizing for $.20 extra.
Ryan
posted by Ryan @ 7:42 PM
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