Supergrass... Diamond Hoo Ha

Released: 24 March 2008 United Kingdom
                 25 March 2008 Canada France
                 29 March 2008 Australia
                 16 April 2008 Japan
                 10 June 2008 United States

Recorded: January 2007-November 2007 in Hansa Studios, Berlin and Los Angeles, California
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Ok so it seems like Cheap trick with weirder lyrics but I like it. Makes a Monday morning, feel a little brighter (even if it’s only in my mind). Good vibes in this album, retro sounds and interesting lyrics (I really dig the William S. Burroughs allusion in Whiskey and Green Tea, never tried that combination but it intrigues me).

The 70’s still live in this album, and I’ve recently found a new appreciation for the era from working with my friend Chris. So this album almost seems like something we’d hear on the classic rock station, even if none of the stations in Southern California would ever play them, even though it was Rodney Bingenheimer was the one who played them and introduced me to them, way back in the 90’s.

Outside makes me feel like I’m watching a movie and everything picks when the piano kicks in and the guitars keep me going, it’s not too crazy just, upbeat to me. There’s something familiar in this song and all the rest, that’s probably why I like it.

With everything in life there has to be an end and Supergrass leaves off on an awesome high note with 345 allot of energy and motion in this song, there seems like there are few tracks they had to hold back with this one, like the jam session kept going and the producers were like “we gotta stop there. There’s way too much material to put in one album”.

If you don’t like this week’s selection I don’t care this is my weeks pick. Yeah I could have written about allot of crazier bands (Health) or something more obscure (Fantastica Bastidas… my favorite band by the way), but this is the album that really stuck out in my head today. And just hope you at least give it a chance and you may like it. If not at least you looked outside your own world for a minute.

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1. Diamond Hoo Ha Man 3:26
2. Bad Blood 3:03
3. Rebel in You" – 4:41
4. When I Needed You" – 2:31
5. 345" – 3:39
6. The Return Of..." – 3:36
7. Rough Knuckles" – 3:25
8. Ghost of a Friend" – 3:54
9. Whiskey & Green Tea" – 4:16
10. Outside" – 3:32
11. Butterfly" – 5:11



Bloody Fucking Hell there's only lame cellphone videos of the songs i want to post... well this is all i have to work with this week

Battles... Mirrored

Released: May 14, 2007 (2007-05-14)
Recorded: 2006
Length: 51:52
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Thanks to Brian Eno for this one and my moronic eyes for misreading the title on the video (I thought it said Brian Eno talks about the Beatles). I was completely shocked when I heard "Atlas” blew my mind kind of like Genesis, mixed with Brian Eno, The Locust, and some bizarre electro Jazz. I’m a big fan of Brian Eno and his Ambient sounds that always seemed way ahead of there time, so when he was talking about Battles in an interview, I had to check it out for sure.

There are some songs on this album that really annoyed me like “Ddiamondd”, hella annoying like some of the stuff Man is the Bastard or The Locust would do, so I skip that song every time I listen to this album, and that gets me to the stronger stuff in this album like the song “Tonto”. The bass in this song reminds me of TOOL’s Lateralus album.

It’s been less than a week since I was struck by this band, and I’ve listened to this album start to finish around 50 times. And when I think I’m done with it, it calls me back to find new elements that I didn’t hear before in the last sessions, “Leyendecker” makes me feel this way with crazy sounding vocals, everything in that song is strong bass, drums, guitars, samples I love everything about this song(Constant repeat when I’m driving)

In the end I really love this album. Allot of energy and innovation in this one, that I keep trying to get people to give a chance(especially my musically inclined friends). Give it a chance and I think you might like it, Not much on lyrics but sonically awesome
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1."Race : In" 4:50
2."Atlas" 7:07
3."Ddiamondd" 2:33
4."Tonto" 7:43
5."Leyendecker" 2:48
6."Rainbow" 8:11
7."Bad Trails" 5:18
8."Prismism" 0:52
9."Snare Hangar" 1:58
10."Tij" 7:03
11."Race : Out" 3:29

The Kills... Midnight Boom

Released: March 10, 2008
Recorded: 2007
Length: 33:57
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Ok now time for the modern era, not everything is "remember back when", there are something’s that get missed everywhere around. And this is an album that I don’t think too many people may have given a chance (mainly because it wasn’t on pop radio namely the gay rocks A.K.A. KROQ).

This one’s got allot of darker elements that are retro sounding, but at the same time very sexy and hard like the song “Tape Song”. Little simple drum sound and voice, that just gets stronger till it get harder, I can image allot movie montages going on while this song plays.

“Last day of Magic” is a track that gets me pumped up in the mornings, the guitars almost make me feel like the end of a story that ends on a high note. With both Alison "VV" Mosshart and Jamie "Hotel" Hince sing together, reminds me of X, back in the day.

“Alphabet Pony” is the track that really caught my attention; I remember hearing this song a couple years back on an ex’s CD’s player. I remember wanting to borrow it for this song, but it was only a mix CD. Fail in my eyes (you can’t break up the flow of an album. It’s almost like a book; you don’t tear out the pages to compile your favorite chapters). But this song came out of nowhere, with a simple sound that makes me want to drive faster and do all kinds of Jackie Chan-esque stunts(like fighting a million ninja's and running up walls using my feet and furniture lol).

The album ends very well with “What New York Used To Be” very sexual sounding to me and gritty all the while. Followed by the true final track called “Goodnight Bad Morning” makes me think you can’t always be aggressive and in your face, something’s are best taken slow in the end to savor what was meant.


1."U.R.A. Fever" 2:16
2."Cheap and Cheerful" 2:26
3."Tape Song" 3:35
4."Getting Down" 2:55
5."Last Day of Magic" 3:21
6."Hook and Line" 2:03
7."Black Balloon" 3:46
8."M.E.X.I.C.O." 1:37
9."Sour Cherry" 3:07
10."Alphabet Pony" 1:45
11."What New York Used to Be" 3:15
12."Goodnight Bad Morning" 3:52

Elvis Costello... My Aim is True

Released: July 22, 1977 (UK) March 1978 (U.S.)
Recorded: Pathway Studios, London, 1976–1977
Length: 32:56
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OK this one came out of nowhere, like the URL implies (Rerun from Nowhere). This week's choice is a great example of what this blog is about. This album is something that most people didn't hear often enough, but have an idea of who Elvis Costello is. I didn't grow up listening to him, nor did most of my friends, but being older and having more access to music, I can truly appreciate this music.

Great start with the song "Welcome to the working week" strong fast start, that gives a brighter look to the start of a week (well at least it makes me feel like that). The line "welcome to the working week... I know it don't thrill you... I hope it don't kill you" seems fitting for the start of a week. this is another song i can play on repeat for more than a few turns, just a shame that its a short song.

"Miracle Man" and "Blame it on Cain" are great songs that I find myself singing allot of times. With these 2 songs it doesn't seem like a song that I’d associate with music from the 70's, but then again most of the songs on this album don’t give me an impression of the 70's. It gives me a 50's bubblegum feel till "Alison" (which makes me think, if there was the one that got away, this song would be the theme song), there's allot of soul in this song... can anyone say drunken karaoke? This song is the one that drew me to this album (thank you Shazam... back when you were actually cool).

"Watching the Detectives" is a single that was released along with the song "Alison" on a vinyl. I know this is a song that allot of stations play allot, but honestly I didn't like it, seems kind of boring to me. "Watching the Detectives" maybe the only Elvis Costello song my generation will know, so this may bring it to a new audience (which I hope it does).

OK this is a good album, but I will say this up front, not everyone will like this album. There are great songs, mixed in with songs that just seem like fillers to me. Great lyrics in most of the songs, that worth are listening to.

1. "Welcome to the Working Week" – 1:22
2. "Miracle Man" – 3:31
3. "No Dancing" – 2:39
4. "Blame It on Cain" – 2:49
5. "Alison" – 3:21
6. "Sneaky Feelings" – 2:09
7. "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" – 2:47
8. "Less Than Zero" – 3:15
9. "Mystery Dance" – 1:38
10. "Pay It Back" – 2:33
11. "I'm Not Angry" – 2:57
12. "Waiting for the End of the World" – 3:22
13. "Watching the Detectives" – 3:45
14. "Radio Sweetheart" – 2:25
15. "Stranger in the House" – 3:01
16. "Imagination (Is a Powerful Deceiver)" – 3:38



Ok and BTW forgive the videos, these were the best videos available on Youtube without be a cover or having poor audio
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The Rolling Stones... Tattoo You

 

Released: August 24 1981

Recorded November 1972-January 1973; January–March 1975; September 1977–March 1978; January-October 1979; October 1980-June 1981

Length 44:23 

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No 90’s music this time even I really debated what I should write about so this time around I went a little further back in time to 1981. the year before I was born. I’ve always seen this album around in record shops and Classic Rock radio stations but I never cared to look at it.

 

Nothing against the Stones, I just figured that any worth listening to, I had already heard on the radio. But I’ve recently taken a deeper look at their catalog after seeing The Darjeeling Limited and hearing the song “Play with Fire” playing during the movie and I am shocked at how much material of the stones people don’t even know.

 

After some searching, I found this album with great songs that I can blow out the speakers to, while driving down the road at 100 MPH. Most of the people who hear me blasting this album out of the car ask me “who is that? I really like that”.  To their surprise I tell them it’s The Rolling Stones.

 

“Start Me Up” is a good song that I’ve heard a million and half times, so I didn’t really feel too strong for this song when I was heard it on this album almost thought it was a greatest hits(Partly because it was in all those Windows commercials back in the 90’s). “Little T&A” really got me with the Sexy lyrics and the beat kept me going for a while after listening to it 5 times in a row (I don’t care if the song isn’t P.C., but frankly I don’t give a shit it’s a good song). “Tops” has a great chorus that I don’t care if anyone sees or hears me sing in the car, good stuff and I don’t care if you like it or not. “No Use Crying” made me think of some old Cholo jams, with that  bass line and harmonizing at the beginning of the song almost like James Brown’s “Please, Please, Please” there’s allot of soul in this song.

 

This album ends well with “Waiting on a Friend”. Almost like this is the point where everything changes for them, and that the style of this song is similar to what will happen in the 80’s to rock music, great stuff anyways.

 

 

 1.    Start Me Up                   3:31

 2.    Hang Fire                       2:20 

3.    Slave                               4:59

4.    Little T&A                      3:23

5.    Black Limousine              3:32

6.    Neighbours                      3:31

7.    Worried About You         5:16

8.    Tops                                3:45

9.    Heaven                            4:21

10.    No Use in Crying           3:24

11.    Waiting On a Friend      4:34

Soundgarden... Down On The Upside

Released: May 21, 1996

Recorded: November 1995 – February 1996 at Studio Litho and Bad Animals Studio, Seattle, Washington

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Ok this is the second entry here and it looks like it’s just 90's music. But this is an album that I had as a kid, which was destroyed by constant playing over and over again. (CD’s were an inferior format that begged to be replaced by something cheap and reliable) 

This is a great album that always set me at ease, even though it didn’t really make an impression on anyone else, but me. It’s sad that somewhere around a year later that they were calling it quits after 13 years. I remember reading about in Rolling Stone magazine that the bands, back when print was actually important.

People complained that the album wasn’t as good as “Superunknown”. But you can’t always do the same thing twice and for a band that had been around for a while doing something different wasn’t a bad idea. In this album I could hear allot of the bands influences and it really opened my ear to music that before my generation and in genres that I didn’t grow up with. There are elements that I can hear of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath in the songs “No Attention” mad “Unkind”. Not all the songs were meant for mainstream radio like for example “Ty Cobb” and “Boot Camp”.

It starts kind of slow for some and artsy, but I think it ends well almost like it was fitting for the bands end (at the time). Looking back at it now, it makes me think if the band still has life in it to do something like this again. Let’s hope threes still something in the tank for a new album. And its not a rehashing of old material or another live album.

BLUR... Parklife

Released:

July 7, 1994

Recorded:

October 1993 - January 1994 at Maison Rouge in London

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When I first listened to this album, the first song "Girls&Boys" just brought back annoying memories of Mtv's the Grind. But that's the thing about albums; you may not like every song on the album, but there are gems to be had. The next track "Tracy Jacks" was good, as was "End Of A Century" and "ParkLife". The album really didn't start for me till "London Loves" came on. I play that song over and over again when I’m on the road, I love the Harmonizing they do when singing the line in the chorus ”London Loves, the mystery of a speeding car, London loves the mystery of a speeding heart".

Honestly in the 90's I didn't give much attention to Blur because the first song on this album and the constant bombardment of "Song 2" on the self titled album. It seems that I really missed out, or it maybe that I am finally mature enough to enjoy music that isn't just a bunch of guys screaming and trying to get louder than the band before, but with less talent.

All in All I really dig this album, even though two songs stick out the most "Girls&Boys" and "London Loves". It maybe obscure for allot of people but that's the point of this Blog to find stuff From The Mess

1. "Girls&Boys" – 4:50
2. "Tracy Jacks" – 4:20
3. "End Of A Century" – 2:46
4. "Parklife" – 3:05
5. "Bank Holiday" – 1:42
6. "Badhead" – 3:25
7. "The Debt Collector" – 2:10
8. "Far Out" – 1:41
9. “To The End" – 4:05
10. "London Loves" – 4:15
11. "Trouble in the Message Centre" – 4:09
12. "Clover Over Dover" – 3:22
13. "Magic America" – 3:38
14. "Jubilee" – 2:47
15. “This Is A Low" – 5:07
16. "Lot 105" – 1:17