Today is the day many of us have been waiting for, quite patiently I might add, for a few months. Well the wait is over, the new album Viva la Vida (amazon) (itunes) is out, and the verdict is in. Granted it might take a few months of comparative listening, but after my first four or five trips through this album I am prepared to say this is the best Coldplay album to date. The bottom line is that everything you wanted is contained in this album. If you liked the old piano based Coldplay sound there are songs here for you. If you wanted Coldplay to drift off in a new direction with their music there are other songs here for you. And if all this sounds like Coldplay was simply pandering to the petty whims of their fan base let me assure you they were not.
On Viva la Vida the four boys fronted by Chris Martin have turned out an album that is unflinchingly their own piece of work. From the brooding organ backing on Lost! to the intricate and somehow oriental sounding opening of Lovers in Japan {which may be the most anthemic of their latest batch of songs} to the subtle build-to-a-climax display of Death And All His Friends; each and every song on this album is solid and diverse from start to finish.
mp3 : Coldplay - Death And All His Friends
mp3 : Coldplay - Death And All His Friends (MMMatthias Remix)
Simply put this album is brilliant and easily stands atop the heap so far in 2008. Better than Weezer, Death Cab, and probably even my favorites Cloud Cult. The question isn’t whether or not this album will make the best of 2008 lists come December, but is there any band left that could knock them from first place?
As a final note I highly recommend the remix by MMMathias. He’s turned in some stellar work lately {check back at the end of the month for two tracks by him in my BOTR series} and this remix is on par with his best work.
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In the top five album releases I was most anticipating this year {alongside Death Cab, Weezer, Ben Folds, and Cloud Cult} is the upcoming album from Coldplay. I’ve been a big fan of them since they first started out sounding like a diet version of Radiohead; a fan since before they careened more and more toward U2 status, panache, and politicking. Now let me put the rumours to bed before they start: I have loved every album by Coldplay for their differences and their similarities and I will most likely love them until they stop making music in the far far future.
A lot of magazines, news outlets, and the best of all bloggers have weighed in on the first single that Coldplay gave away free from their website. I personally love it. Although I do feel it follows the formula of Fix You, that being slow start, gradual crescendo of both sound and emotion, and minimalistic piano outro, I believe that this song, Violet Hill, is a song that somehow encompasses all the phases that Coldplay has gone through. There’s piano and guitar solos, darkness and light, and there’s Chris Martin singing in his natural octave as well as soaring falsetto. In short, this is exactly what Coldplay has always been. In this song you get to hear their all in just under four minutes.
mp3 : Coldplay - Violet Hill
I think that it’s great to see a band that was once mired in comparisons to other great acts rise to the occasion, sustain a great and talented career, and eventually reach a level where many a fledgling bands are compared to them.
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The anticipation for the new album by Cloud Cult is killing me. Although it’s not hitting the checkout lines until April 8th there can be found two songs off of the forthcoming album entitled Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes). If their past genius, as well as the two songs that have been released thus far, are any indication this will easily slide once again to year ending best of lists. I’ve already reserved a spot in the top three on my list {as last year they were hands down the best album of 2007}.
If you’ve never taken a second and listened through the talent that is Craig Minowa and the rest of the Cult then take a second and let them change your mind on just what music can sound like. Their albums are as eclectic as their live shows {incorporating painting into their sets is just brilliant} and if one song doesn’t tickle your particular fancy you can rest assured something else on the album will. Take a listen for yourself to these first two teasers of what is sure to be a phenomenal album. Also, in an email earlier this week, they mentioned something to do with a presale event taking place on their website in the near future.
mp3 : Cloud Cult - Everyone Here is a Cloud
mp3 : Cloud Cult - When Water Comes to Life
The first track is one they have been playing in concert for awhile and when I heard it live a few months back it was quite amazing. To really get a sense of their sound turn your speakers up loud and just revel in the beauty of it all. Also, if you’re a Cloud Cult fan and live anywhere close to the Twin Cities {Minneapolis and St. Paul for the out o’ midwesters} they could use your help this Sunday, March 2, to film a video. For information on that just click here {they’re promising free memories and quite possibly your face, closeup, on MTV}. Also, as good as their studio efforts are, they are quite brilliant in concert.
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My first reaction to hearing the new song 1492 from Counting Crows was “WHAT!, who do these guys think they are? Phantom Planet?” And by Phantom Planet I’m referencing a band who started with a largely melodic and acoustic beginning only to throw their entire, and largely successful, formula out the window in favor of a more modern and edgy sound. Well that and this song 1492 sounds like it belongs on PP’s self titled third full length. But honestly, this is no Long December. This is no Autumn and Everything After. This isn’t even anything after. Needless to say I was worried. It’s a solid song, with a good hook and decent lyrics, but this is not the Adam Duritz that the world loves.
Praises be that they decided to include another song on their first single for their upcoming album, Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings, which is set to hit shelves in just a few weeks. The second song, When I Dream of Michaelangelo, did much to put my troubled heart at peace. This is where the Counting Crows shine. Where other acts would get lost in the apparent simplicity and straightforward nature of this track, it is precisely these qualities that allow Adam’s voice and lyrics to shine through {and that’s what we’ve always loved about the Crows anyway}.
mp3 : Counting Crows - 1492
mp3 : Counting Crows - When I Dream of Michaelangelo
Why they decided to experiment with the sound of 1492 will likely baffle critics and fans for ages to come. Maybe it was to lend some edge to their live performance, but I don’t think they needed it. The last time I saw them play they brought enough intensity {and three encores} to satisfy any crowd. I can only hope the rest of their album takes after When I Dream of Michaelangelo.
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According to Franc Cinelli, who plays folk music under the name Goodtimes Goodtimes, his music is all about “telling stories and reaching out with a song and a strum… I write about whatever takes my fancy; the usual suspects apply; girls, that night when I couldn’t bite my lip and it got me into trouble, my mates, johnny cash, dance halls and love.” I would say that as an artist he knows himself fairly well. Although I think he should replace Johnny Cash in that sentence with the phrase “inventing the sound of a modern day, but still youthful, Bob Dylan.”
Whatever your brain imagines he sounds like there is a certain irresitable joy to this music. There is something here that makes your head bounce and your heart identify with the sentiments even if you have no idea exactly what he is talking about. I feel as if this album is a part of an indie movie soundtrack waiting to be made. So grab your camcorders, your sunny disposition, and film something sad to go along with these musical gems. Regardless of my musings these tracks hail from his new album entitled Glue (iTunes).
mp3 : Goodtimes Goodtimes - Desire
mp3 : Goodtimes Goodtimes - Kids
mp3 : Goodtimes Goodtimes - Sea Shanty
mp3 : Goodtimes Goodtimes - Sunshine Sunshine
But really, aren’t there moments in Sea Shanty or parts of Sunshine Sunshine that he sounds hauntingly like Dylan? I also feel as if his voice sounds a bit like Paolo Nutini, in a good way.
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Benjamin Gibbard “I just don’t feel like we really have anything to prove other than to ourselves, just making an album we really enjoy.”
mp3 : Death Cab for Cutie - The New Year
Yes my friends, you have heard correctly, Death Cab will have a new album dropping in May of 2008. Brilliant! This upcoming release easily just jumped into the top spot of my most eagerly anticipated albums of the new year.
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It seems as if a lot of my posts lately have focused around new albums. And that might be true due to the fact that there has been so many quality releases lately. Following their breakout, critically lauded full length, Everything All The Time (iTunes), their second album with label Sub Pop is equal parts anthemic rock mixed with the salt of a maturation process born of the stardom which accompanied their dramatic rise in pop culture.
To be blunt the new album, Cease to Begin (iTunes), is solid music from start to finish and is a must have for any music fan who appreciates good music. Lyrically I’ve not yet decided if it’s better than their previous effort, but I think that has to do in large part to the fact that I can’t honestly say what they’re singing about. And that’s alright with me as I tend to listen to a lot of Band of Horses songs with the interpretation that the voice is yet another instrument and not playing the part of a narrator. Included here below are my two favorite tracks on the new album. I think they exemplify the qualities I love in Band of Horses and if it’s your first listen to the band this is a good of a starting place as any.
mp3 : Band of Horses - Is There a Ghost
mp3 : Band of Horses - Island on the Coast
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He has a new album up on iTunes, also available on cdbaby, and I would say this is one album that is a must download for anyone who appreciates solid music. He’s a touch piano man, a touch new folk revival, and a ton of heartfelt lyrics wrapped up into one performer. In the past he was headlining with a band called The Ramparts before he moved to New York to get serious about his career. And from the reviews I’ve heard from personal friends in the NYC area his shows are personable and amazing.
If you’re a skeptic you can head over to his myspace page and listen to some of the tracks that you’ll find on the download ready album. Honestly, his music speaks much louder than my reviews ever could. Please make sure to listen to the stand out tracks Got No Place and Hospital. It’s the type of music you can get lost in. And if you want a little more substantial offering either open iTunes or download the tracks here below. And maybe, just maybe, if you ask nicely I’ll do a few more posts about Zach here and put up the loads of tracks I’ve culled from various web locations.
mp3 : Zach Williams - Across the Bridge (Live at Rockwood)
mp3 : Zach Williams - Fears (Live at Rockwood)
Trust me on this artist, you will not be disappointed. He is easily in my top five best artists of 2007 and that is a not something I would say lightly.
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It’s official, Stax are way better than Pringles. Way better. I don’t even know why I would ever buy Pringles ever again. Stax are just that good.
Another thing that is just that good is the new Dashboard album titled The Shade of Poison Trees. Finally Mr. Carrabas went back to what we loved him for in the beginning. Largely acoustic tracks with a lot of pathos, ethos, and angst[os] in the lyrics. If you feel as if this formula has run its course then you need to take a second and listen through this album. Granted it’s not breaking new ground or floating at the top of any blogger’s Best of ‘07 list, but it is a solid album from start to finish and it shows a nice maturity in the Dashboard Sound. And for those of you not familiar with this trademarked sound [think everything tuned down to flats with a lot of D's thrown in for fun] this album is the perfect starter kit for a fun Dashboard education.
new songs
mp3 : Dashboard Confessional - Keep Watch for the Mines
mp3 : Dashboard Confessional - Where There’s Gold
old songs
mp3 : Dashboard Confessional - The Only Gift That I Need
mp3 : Dashboard Confessional - Tonight I’ll Take What I Can Get (Acoustic)
mp3 : Dashboard Confessional - Tonight I’ll Take What I Can Get
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Well it’s officially here, the newest Radiohead album. And I must say that it sounds great. Again, though, I might be biased as I’ve loved them since the moment I first heard OK Computer. I’ve seen them in concert and I would hands down say that they put on the best show on the planet. I would bet that most of their appeal in concert comes down to the golden rule they follow when recording a new album. And that rule is that they will not put anything on a studio album that cannot be replicated in a live environment. With Radiohead what you hear on an album is what you get in concert. Only in concert it’s exponentially more awesome. And I realize the word awesome is dumbed down and watered down and anything else downed. It’s overused and misused and often abused, but here, in reference to a Radiohead concert, the word awesome begins to reclaim some of it’s old patina.
All that mishmash aside here’s a track that doesn’t actually appear on the new digital download of Radiohead’s newest, In Rainbows, which they decided to release on their own without the pressures [err, help] of a label. As many, if not most, of you already know they have two versions of their latest endeavor both available exclusively from the aforelinked website. You can order the digital download and pay them whatever you want to pay. If you want to pay nothing you can download the songs for free. And I’m pretty sure they’d accept more than nothing if you’d rather go that route. The other option is a special edition of the album which includes the digital download as well as; the new album on CD and on two 12″ vinyl pressings, a CD with more new songs, digital photographs, and artwork, lyric booklets and Radiohead stylized packaging. All of this for about eighty USD or forty pounds.
And like I said, this track doesn’t appear on the new digital download. Enjoy.
mp3 : Radiohead - Cuttooth
For those of you who are curious as to what the songs are on the new album I’ve included the track listing below. Some of you are lazy. Be grateful I am not.
Radiohead - In Rainbows
01 : 15 STEP
02 : BODYSNATCHERS
03 : NUDE
04 : WEIRD FISHES/ARPEGGI
05 : ALL I NEED
06 : FAUST ARP
07 : RECKONER
08 : HOUSE OF CARDS
09 : JIGSAW FALLING INTO PLACE
10 : VIDEOTAPE
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We bloggers seem to drool over Jose and his style of music. I can’t really pin down just why it sounds so good other than that it has a certain road ready [weary] feel that makes me want to jump in a car and drive west. Or rather just drive. On one hand, when I listen to Mr. Gonzalez, I feel the need to nod my head to the groove. On the other hand it feels like the music I would play over a nice slow motion scene in the new indie film. Something about a guy, running through an airport, in slow motion, with this music in the background. I think it would make everyone cry. I’m even crying a little bit right now just thinking about it.
mp3 : Jose Gonzalez - Killing for Love
Jose Gonzalez’s new album comes out September 25th. You can probably find it on the internet, at Amazon, or on shelves on that day. Cheers.
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