Saturday, July 31, 2004
July 31: Johnny Reliable - Enough is Enough
Not as good as the first album. No offense; I just liked Going Hollywood better.
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Friday, July 30, 2004
July 30: Johnny Reliable - Going Hollywood
Two days left in the month, and I didn't even have enough albums to finish live albums week!
So I'm gonna go with a couple of albums by Johnny Reliable, the Tulsa quartet who played with the 12 Pearls last week. This one won 'em a Spotnik (the Tulsa equivalent of a Grammy) for Best New Artist in '02, and it's easy to see why. Elements of surf-rock, new wave, punk, and oldies (especially Buddy Holly) all collide together, and it sounds pretty cool.
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So I'm gonna go with a couple of albums by Johnny Reliable, the Tulsa quartet who played with the 12 Pearls last week. This one won 'em a Spotnik (the Tulsa equivalent of a Grammy) for Best New Artist in '02, and it's easy to see why. Elements of surf-rock, new wave, punk, and oldies (especially Buddy Holly) all collide together, and it sounds pretty cool.
July 29: Nirvana - From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
Not as good as MTV Unplugged, and points off for being a compilation of live tracks from a ton of different shows instead of one show all the way through. The only semi-hits on here are "Lithium," "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (played a little too fast) and "Heart-Shaped Box." In fact, there's only three tracks out of 17 off of In Utero, and a lot of b-sides and stuff off Incesticide.
The band plays with a lot of energy, but they don't sound especially tight or good live. Although you do get a version of "Polly" recorded two years before Nevermind came out. That's at least interesting.
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The band plays with a lot of energy, but they don't sound especially tight or good live. Although you do get a version of "Polly" recorded two years before Nevermind came out. That's at least interesting.
July 28: Our Lady Peace - Live
In a really weird coincidence, I listened to this exactly 18 months after they recorded it in Edmonton, Canada. That's right, kids; Our Lady Peace do arenas in Canada, but you can see 'em in clubs here in the US of A.
This album works well as a "greatest hits live" kind of thing, though there's not nearly enough stuff from their kickass fourth album Spiritual Machines. And there's a little too much forced audience participation and sing-a-long. And you realize just how nü-metal their last album was when you hear the songs live. But those are minor points. Best listened to at night when you can pretend like you're there in the darkened Edmonton arena.
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This album works well as a "greatest hits live" kind of thing, though there's not nearly enough stuff from their kickass fourth album Spiritual Machines. And there's a little too much forced audience participation and sing-a-long. And you realize just how nü-metal their last album was when you hear the songs live. But those are minor points. Best listened to at night when you can pretend like you're there in the darkened Edmonton arena.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
July 27: The Police - Live! (disc 2)
Disc 2 is from a show in Atlanta in 1983 (if I'm not mistaken, a young R.E.M. was the opening act). The band is much more polished and the sound is filled out: keyboards, backup singers, etc. But alas, the band sounds very bored. It's no wonder they broke up not long after this. Still, it's basically a greatest-hits set, which is cool. I especially enjoyed the live versions of "King of Pain" and "Don't Stand So Close to Me."
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July 26: The Police - Live! (disc 1)
Listening to a Police live album is a bit like listening to a Beatles live album: you're never going to get the chance to see 'em live, so this is the next best thing.
Disc 1 of this two-CD set is taken from a 1979 show in Boston. The band's got a lot of energy, and the music is a lot more reggae-punk than the album versions of "Message in a Bottle" or whatever.
The weirdest thing is listening to Sting talk between songs. The guy has a very strong rural northern English accent (the British equivalent of those guys in Deliverance who think you got a purty mouth), which is pretty interesting, considering he comes off all prim and polished in interviews nowadays.
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Disc 1 of this two-CD set is taken from a 1979 show in Boston. The band's got a lot of energy, and the music is a lot more reggae-punk than the album versions of "Message in a Bottle" or whatever.
The weirdest thing is listening to Sting talk between songs. The guy has a very strong rural northern English accent (the British equivalent of those guys in Deliverance who think you got a purty mouth), which is pretty interesting, considering he comes off all prim and polished in interviews nowadays.
July 25: Oasis - Familiar to Millions (disc 2)
Disc 2 is where things get good. Liam rambles incoherently between songs, they play the hits ("Wonderwall," "Champagne Supernova") and a couple of Neil Young and Beatles covers, and then the best moment comes on "Don't Look Back in Anger," when the 70,000 fans drown out Noel on the chorus. Spine-tingling. Those Brits sure love their Oasis.
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July 24: Oasis - Familiar to Millions (disc 1)
Ah, Oasis live. Sounds suspiciously like Oasis in the studio, because this band isn't the risk-taking type. Recorded at Wembley Stadium in London in 2000, disc 1 has a few too many tracks off Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, the album they were supporting at the time.
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July 23: 10,000 Maniacs - MTV Unplugged
I had intended to do a live albums month (combining live albums with albums by the group Live), but realized I didn't have nearly enough. So instead: live albums week!
This is a good album, because 10,000 Maniacs were always basically an acoustic act anyway, and they recorded this at the top of their game, right before they broke up. It starts off with a quick one-two of "These Are Days" and "Candy Everybody Wants," then lapses in the middle with a bunch of mopey songs that remind you of Natalie Merchant's solo career, then comes back with some good ones at the end. I wonder if the 10,000 Maniacs/Toad the Wet Sprocket/ Gin Blossoms style of music will ever make a comeback?
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This is a good album, because 10,000 Maniacs were always basically an acoustic act anyway, and they recorded this at the top of their game, right before they broke up. It starts off with a quick one-two of "These Are Days" and "Candy Everybody Wants," then lapses in the middle with a bunch of mopey songs that remind you of Natalie Merchant's solo career, then comes back with some good ones at the end. I wonder if the 10,000 Maniacs/Toad the Wet Sprocket/ Gin Blossoms style of music will ever make a comeback?
Thursday, July 22, 2004
July 22: Superdrag - Last Call for Vitriol
One of the worst kind of CDs... the one where the band is slowly (and obviously) running out of ideas.
Superdrag put out two CDs on Elektra (the second, Head Trip in Every Key, is one of my favorites of all time), then got dropped and put out two more CDs on an indie (with a slightly different lineup). This one is their fourth and final CD, as they "went on hiatus" about a year ago, shortly after I saw them at the Green Door. The third CD was pretty good, but this one is just rehashed riffs from old songs with yawn-inducing vocals.
It's hard not to read things into this CD while you listen to it: is the band disillusioned? Do they realize their career is slowly grinding to a halt? Do they realize they're never going to write another "Sucked Out the Feeling"? These are things I'll still be wondering as I take this one down to Hastings next week to sell it back.
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Superdrag put out two CDs on Elektra (the second, Head Trip in Every Key, is one of my favorites of all time), then got dropped and put out two more CDs on an indie (with a slightly different lineup). This one is their fourth and final CD, as they "went on hiatus" about a year ago, shortly after I saw them at the Green Door. The third CD was pretty good, but this one is just rehashed riffs from old songs with yawn-inducing vocals.
It's hard not to read things into this CD while you listen to it: is the band disillusioned? Do they realize their career is slowly grinding to a halt? Do they realize they're never going to write another "Sucked Out the Feeling"? These are things I'll still be wondering as I take this one down to Hastings next week to sell it back.
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
July 21: Hometown Hero - (self-titled)
So I was playing this new MVP baseball game for the Playstation, and up pops the new song from Hometown Hero. It got me thinking about this CD, which I bought two years ago on a whim while on a 12p tour stop in scenic Lawton, OK. I only remember exactly where I bought it because on the way to the show, we listened to the drum kick-in on "Eighteen," which seriously sounds like a crippled man falling down the stairs slowly, and laughed our collective a$$e$ off. (see the 12p diary for more)
Hometown Hero are one of those post-Weezer bands signed after Weezer's big green album comeback. And that means they sound a whole lot like Weezer. A slightly more screamo, distorted Weezer, but Weezer nonetheless. Not that that's a bad thing.
But I still might sell this.
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Hometown Hero are one of those post-Weezer bands signed after Weezer's big green album comeback. And that means they sound a whole lot like Weezer. A slightly more screamo, distorted Weezer, but Weezer nonetheless. Not that that's a bad thing.
But I still might sell this.
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
July 20: Longwave - The Strangest Thing
This CD was sticky. Why was it sticky? Did I spill a coke on it nine months ago? It must have been a heck of a spill, because the outside of the case AND the CD are sticky. Gross.
Longwave suffer from two problems: they're from New York, but they sound like they're British, and they have two great songs and 10 mediocre ones. The first problem can be overcome. The second probably can't. What's really wrong with record companies nowadays is they sign a band with two great singles and then fool people into buying the album. That's why people are pissed off and just download singles now.
Me, I'm burning the two good songs ("Everywhere You Turn" and "Tidal Wave," in case you care) and selling this thing for something else that will probably turn out to suck.
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Longwave suffer from two problems: they're from New York, but they sound like they're British, and they have two great songs and 10 mediocre ones. The first problem can be overcome. The second probably can't. What's really wrong with record companies nowadays is they sign a band with two great singles and then fool people into buying the album. That's why people are pissed off and just download singles now.
Me, I'm burning the two good songs ("Everywhere You Turn" and "Tidal Wave," in case you care) and selling this thing for something else that will probably turn out to suck.
July 19: U2 and R.E.M.
The thing I really like about buying European import singles for like $1.50 is they usually have cool covers or live tracks on them. For instance, on the U2 single "Last Night on Earth" (from the Pop album, I believe), you get covers of "Pop Muzik" (London, New York, Paris, Munich, everybody talk about..pop music) that played before the band came on stage on the PopMart tour and the Beatles' "Happiness is a Warm Gun."
The REM single is for "I'll Take the Rain," the unsuccessful third single off of their last album Reveal. This one gets points off because one b-side, "32 chord song," is just an alternate version of a song on Reveal, and the other b-side is only accessible by putting it in your computer and watching a video of it. Not cool. I like the cartoon dog on the cover, though.
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The REM single is for "I'll Take the Rain," the unsuccessful third single off of their last album Reveal. This one gets points off because one b-side, "32 chord song," is just an alternate version of a song on Reveal, and the other b-side is only accessible by putting it in your computer and watching a video of it. Not cool. I like the cartoon dog on the cover, though.
July 18: Foo Fighters & Kinesis
Went to the Virgin Megastore in Dallas over the weekend, and stocked up on a few bargain bin European import singles. So today it was Foo Fighters "Times Like These" and Kinesis "And They Obey."
The Foo single comes with a cover of Joe Walsh's classic "Life of Illusion" (featuring Taylor on vocals, no less!) and a live cover of the B-52's "Planet Claire" with Fred from the B-52s on vocals. Also some CD-rom stuff.
Kinesis is a punk band from the UK that are very leftist. I read online that they were like Rage crossed with Jimmy Eat World or something. They weren't that good.
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The Foo single comes with a cover of Joe Walsh's classic "Life of Illusion" (featuring Taylor on vocals, no less!) and a live cover of the B-52's "Planet Claire" with Fred from the B-52s on vocals. Also some CD-rom stuff.
Kinesis is a punk band from the UK that are very leftist. I read online that they were like Rage crossed with Jimmy Eat World or something. They weren't that good.
July 17: Various Artists - Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved
I have trouble deciding which song is cooler on this tribute album: Toad the Wet Sprocket doing "Rock and Roll All Nite" acoustic, or Garth Brooks doing a dead-on version of "Hard Luck Woman" with Kiss backing him up. You also get Stevie Wonder and Lenny Kravitz duetting on "Deuce," the Mighty Mighty Bosstones doing "Detroit Rock City" and a supergroup made up of half of Rage Against the Machine (the Audioslave half) and the lead singer of Tool on "Calling Dr. Love."
That's right; I think Kiss is cool. Cooler than your band, dude.
The real question is this: which is better, this album or the movie Detroit Rock City, starring that kid from Terminator 2?
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That's right; I think Kiss is cool. Cooler than your band, dude.
The real question is this: which is better, this album or the movie Detroit Rock City, starring that kid from Terminator 2?
Friday, July 16, 2004
July 16: Mansun - Attack of the Grey Lantern
That's right, kids, it's time for Keep or Sell!
Mansun are an arty band from Britain that recently broke up. I think I'd heard they were good, so I got this. Surely I hadn't heard any of the songs off it.
This album is so pretentious it makes Muse look like John Denver. And the songs aren't any good, either.
Sell.
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Mansun are an arty band from Britain that recently broke up. I think I'd heard they were good, so I got this. Surely I hadn't heard any of the songs off it.
This album is so pretentious it makes Muse look like John Denver. And the songs aren't any good, either.
Sell.
July 15: Agents of Good Roots - One by One
Found a small stack of CDs at the bottom of a box in my closet today. I thinkI bought 'em all for like $1 each at a Wherehouse Music a couple of yearsago, and they're all candidates for the game that's sweeping the nation:Keep or Sell?
Anyway, Agents of Good Roots were the also-rans in Virginia behind DaveMatthews Band; they even have a sax player! The album's OK, nothing special,just rock songs with some jazz and funk undertones. Then it gets to the lastsong, "I'll Be Back," which is good. No, wait... after I listened to it again,it's great. And on the third listen, it's brilliant. A classic. So this one'sa keeper.
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Anyway, Agents of Good Roots were the also-rans in Virginia behind DaveMatthews Band; they even have a sax player! The album's OK, nothing special,just rock songs with some jazz and funk undertones. Then it gets to the lastsong, "I'll Be Back," which is good. No, wait... after I listened to it again,it's great. And on the third listen, it's brilliant. A classic. So this one'sa keeper.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
July 14: Adam Sandler - Shhh...Don't Tell
Thanks, Hastings, for your 3-for-1 trade policy on used CDs! I used three castoffs from June to buy the new Sandler CD.
Now, let me tell you about my history with Sandler. His first two CDs came out when I was in high school, and we loved them. The first one got passed from Walkman to Walkman on band trips, and the second, too. Then his third album was all songs, and none of them were very good. The fourth album wasn't that hot, either. Both came out when I was in college, and I thought maybe I'd outgrown Adam Sandler.
Then, I read on mtv.com that this is Adam's filthiest album ever. That's right, Sandler is back to working blue, and that's good, because he's not that funny a guy. He has to get dirty to get funny. And this album is funny. It's not hilarious all the way through, but it's pretty damn funny, if you don't mind a healthy dose of homophobia and misogyny. I highly recommend "Gay Robot."
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Now, let me tell you about my history with Sandler. His first two CDs came out when I was in high school, and we loved them. The first one got passed from Walkman to Walkman on band trips, and the second, too. Then his third album was all songs, and none of them were very good. The fourth album wasn't that hot, either. Both came out when I was in college, and I thought maybe I'd outgrown Adam Sandler.
Then, I read on mtv.com that this is Adam's filthiest album ever. That's right, Sandler is back to working blue, and that's good, because he's not that funny a guy. He has to get dirty to get funny. And this album is funny. It's not hilarious all the way through, but it's pretty damn funny, if you don't mind a healthy dose of homophobia and misogyny. I highly recommend "Gay Robot."
July 13: Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It in People
This album deeply unnerved me. It wasn't so much that I hated it; I didn't. But it gave me a distinctly creepy feeling the longer I listened to it. Apparently, Broken Social Scene is a Canadian 11-piece (!!) that builds its songs "organically," from the ground up, without actual "writers."
The result is definitely weird.
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The result is definitely weird.
July 12: The Cooper Temple Clause - Kick Up the Fire, and Let the Flames Break Loose
Another Matt loaner, and I think the longest band name and album title of all time. I'd listened to some old CTC singles that I bought at Waterloo over Christmas, and they were pretty good. This album isn't that great. It alternates between rockin' and mopey, and I didn't much care for the mopey parts.
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July 11: R.E.M. - Animal
Finally got this in the mail today; it's the Canadian single of the second new song off last year's greatest hits (it didn't come out in the U.S.) You get a remixed version of "Animal" which is better (and more like last fall's live version), and live versions of "Pretty Persuasion" and "Welcome to the Occupation" recorded in NYC.
But I figured only three tracks wasn't a true CD, so I also listened to a weird single my Dutch buddy Niels brought over from Holland. It's the Counting Crows and Bløf, a Dutch band, duetting on a song called "Holiday in Spain." The first half is in English, and the second half is in Dutch. The b-sides are all Counting Crows songs recorded live on Dutch TV. I wouldn't say it was great so much as...interesting. The version of "Mr. Jones" is terrible, and the version of "Round Here" is about seven minutes long. I think this is a clear sign (if that godawful Shrek 2 song wasn't enough) that the Counting Crows are on that final downward slide.
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But I figured only three tracks wasn't a true CD, so I also listened to a weird single my Dutch buddy Niels brought over from Holland. It's the Counting Crows and Bløf, a Dutch band, duetting on a song called "Holiday in Spain." The first half is in English, and the second half is in Dutch. The b-sides are all Counting Crows songs recorded live on Dutch TV. I wouldn't say it was great so much as...interesting. The version of "Mr. Jones" is terrible, and the version of "Round Here" is about seven minutes long. I think this is a clear sign (if that godawful Shrek 2 song wasn't enough) that the Counting Crows are on that final downward slide.
July 10: Eagles of Death Metal - Peace Love Death Metal
Matt loaned me this. I didn't like it. The main guy from Queens of the Stone Age plays drums on it, and the whole situation just smacks of "I wanted to help out my buddy, so I'm going to be on this crap-fest so it'll sell a few copies."
The cover of "Stuck in the Middle with You" didn't even do it for me.
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The cover of "Stuck in the Middle with You" didn't even do it for me.
Friday, July 09, 2004
July 9: Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown
Hm... Michael W. Smith crossed with Collective Soul... is actually quite good.
I'd been dithering (yes, dithering) over whether or not to buy this for a few months now, then finally knuckled under when I saw it at Target with a bonus DVD AND a free sticker for only $9.99 (the sticker is really what did it). Supposedly, Switchfoot are a Christian band: Kit and Brandon vaguely remember them coming through Edmond several years ago and playing a church somewhere. But the only thing Christian I notice about the CD is the aforementioned Michael W. Smith influence, which actually gives these post-post-grunge songs an interesting twist. It's certainly better than Evanescence, that's for sure.
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I'd been dithering (yes, dithering) over whether or not to buy this for a few months now, then finally knuckled under when I saw it at Target with a bonus DVD AND a free sticker for only $9.99 (the sticker is really what did it). Supposedly, Switchfoot are a Christian band: Kit and Brandon vaguely remember them coming through Edmond several years ago and playing a church somewhere. But the only thing Christian I notice about the CD is the aforementioned Michael W. Smith influence, which actually gives these post-post-grunge songs an interesting twist. It's certainly better than Evanescence, that's for sure.
July 8: Sugarcult - Wrap Me Up in Plastic
Borrowed this one from Matt, who bought it at the Sugarcult show in April in Dallas. It's their first, indie release.
And it's... OK. There's nothing world-changing or attention-grabbing on here, but the songs are pretty good. It's useful only as a guide to what they did later. And the terrible, bleached-blond hairdos on all the bandmembers. Yikes!
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And it's... OK. There's nothing world-changing or attention-grabbing on here, but the songs are pretty good. It's useful only as a guide to what they did later. And the terrible, bleached-blond hairdos on all the bandmembers. Yikes!
July 7: David Mead - Mine and Yours
The last leftover from the Keep or Sell pile. I actually know someone that used to run David Mead's street team, and we saw him at the Nashville New Music Conference last year. He plays very well-structured, well-written pop songs, and this album was produced by one of the guys from Fountains of Wayne. The whole thing is just a touch too well-mannered for my tastes (sometimes you gotta rock just a little), but the songs are all so good, I gotta keep it.
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July 6: Deathray - (self-titled)
This one had been at the bottom of the Keep or Sell pile, and I didn't get to it in time. Good thing, too, because I forgot how awesome it is. Deathray is the guitarist from Cake, who quit the band after "The Distance" and started this band. They sound like the Cars crossed with the Kinks or the Zombies or early Beatles or something like that. Very, very melodic, and very, very good. I looked up their website and apparently they're still around and kicking in the Sacramento area, so maybe I'll get to check 'em out sometime.
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July 5: Upside and the Feds - High Heels and Hand Grenades
I'm a little confused at the title of this one. Hand Grenades from the Feds makes sense, but High Heels from Upside? Are they saying Upside is chick-rock? 'Cause that's not accurate.
Anyway, I just got this in the mail and thought I'd pop it in. As many of you know, we've done several shows with both Upside and the Feds (most recently in Guthrie in April), and each band contributes four songs here. Upside's are pretty good, but the best one is "The Way I Dream," which is a re-recorded version of a song from their second album. I wasn't a huge fan of the Feds' four songs, and I still think they haven't been captured on an album as good as they sound live.
I do have to give extra points for the pale pink album cover... this one shouldn't be hard to find in the album stack.
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Anyway, I just got this in the mail and thought I'd pop it in. As many of you know, we've done several shows with both Upside and the Feds (most recently in Guthrie in April), and each band contributes four songs here. Upside's are pretty good, but the best one is "The Way I Dream," which is a re-recorded version of a song from their second album. I wasn't a huge fan of the Feds' four songs, and I still think they haven't been captured on an album as good as they sound live.
I do have to give extra points for the pale pink album cover... this one shouldn't be hard to find in the album stack.
Thursday, July 08, 2004
July 4: Sixteen Horsepower - Sackcloth 'n' Ashes
Hey, I figure if you're going to listen to something on Independence Day, listen to something that's unmistakably, quintessentially American. So I pulled this one out. I don't remember where I first heard 16 Horsepower, probably the old SPI. These guys are from Denver and are kind of like Cross Canadian Ragweed if CCR grew up in the Appalachians without any electricity. They combine weird backwoods, fire-and-brimstone lyrics and instrumentation with red-dirt sounding songs. The effect is strange, to say the least; it sounds like the town band in a little inbred village that everybody forgot about 100 years ago.
The dude from the Violent Femmes guest-stars on it, too, which makes more sense than you'd think.
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The dude from the Violent Femmes guest-stars on it, too, which makes more sense than you'd think.
July 3: Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want
This is a leftover from Keep or Sell month, though I never bought it. It's a relic from my short career as a music reviewer. I actually saw Vertical Horizon and Stroke 9 at the House of Blues in New Orleans four years ago, and the only thing I remember is how inoffensive they were. And this CD reflects that; it's like rock and roll that's been focus-grouped and test-marketed. Hey, it's got that "Everything You Want" song on it, that was a No. 1 hit! And the other songs on the album sure aren't going to offend anybody!
Vertical Horizon were a generic acoustic jam band from the East Coast throughout the early '90s, then added a bass player and drummer and put this highly-polished album out. And it worked; they sold millions of copies. But like most albums like this, the follow-up was ignored; critics didn't even take the time to trash it. So I guess that's the end of Vertical Horizon.
I think this one's going in the "sell" pile.
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Vertical Horizon were a generic acoustic jam band from the East Coast throughout the early '90s, then added a bass player and drummer and put this highly-polished album out. And it worked; they sold millions of copies. But like most albums like this, the follow-up was ignored; critics didn't even take the time to trash it. So I guess that's the end of Vertical Horizon.
I think this one's going in the "sell" pile.
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
July 2: Various Artists - Another Year on the Streets, Vol. 3
This is Vagrant Records' annual summer compilation of unreleased tracks from their bands. I bought it at Best Buy for $6, mostly because it comes with a DVD with like 20 videos on it (none of which are very good, by the way). It's a little weird how much all the Vagrant bands sound like each other. I mean, Down to Earth Approach have the first track, followed by Hot Rod Circuit, and those bands could have the same lead singer. Seriously. Alkaline Trio does do a nice Psychedelic Furs cover, but then From Autumn to Ashes do an absolutely horrible cover of Nirvana's "Territorial Pissings."
The only redeeming moments on the CD come at the end, with an acoustic song from the New Amsterdams (a Get Up Kids side project), a new song from Paul Westerberg that's very, very good, and an unreleased song from the Get Up Kids. The GUKs' song sounds a lot like it came off their third album, Eudora, which is probably why it was left off their fourth album and stuck on this thing instead. Also, you get a Rocket from the Crypt song called "Flight of the Hobo." Now that's worth $6 right there, isn't it?
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The only redeeming moments on the CD come at the end, with an acoustic song from the New Amsterdams (a Get Up Kids side project), a new song from Paul Westerberg that's very, very good, and an unreleased song from the Get Up Kids. The GUKs' song sounds a lot like it came off their third album, Eudora, which is probably why it was left off their fourth album and stuck on this thing instead. Also, you get a Rocket from the Crypt song called "Flight of the Hobo." Now that's worth $6 right there, isn't it?
July 1: The Killers - Hot Fuss
Oh yeah... now THIS is what the Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, and all these other buzz bands should sound like. The Killers combine the best elements of New Order, the Cure, and Vegas glitz with just enough '90s influence to make the whole thing sound fresh. I love this CD. They're coming to town at the end of this month, and I'll be there. I may go to the Oklahoma City and Dallas shows.
And only 11 tracks? That's right, kids... all Killer, no filler. No pun intended.
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And only 11 tracks? That's right, kids... all Killer, no filler. No pun intended.
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
Andrew's month: Keep or Sell, or "next month's new inventory at Hastings"
June 1: Graham Colton Band - Drive
June 2: Snow Patrol - Final Straw
June 3: Feeder - Echo Park
June 4: Keane - Hopes and Fears
June 5: The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Daylight
June 6: Weezer - (self-titled)
June 7: Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible
June 8: The Wallflowers - (Breach)
June 9: Starsailor - Love is Here
June 10: Jimmy Fallon - The Bathroom Wall
June 11: Harvey Danger - King James Version
June 12: Pete Yorn - Day I Forgot
June 13: Various Artists - O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack
June 14: Hoobastank - (self-titled)
June 15: Fuel - Something Like Human
June 16: Audiovent - Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris
June 17: TRUSTcompany - The Lonely Position of Neutral
June 18: Taking Back Sunday - Tell all your friends
June 19: Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
June 20: Good Charlotte - The Young and the Hopeless
June 21: Avril Lavigne - Let Go
June 22: John Mayer - Room for Squares
June 23: The Ataris - So Long, Astoria
June 24: Treble Charger - Wide Awake Bored
June 25: Lisa Loeb - Firecracker
June 26: Jeff Buckley - Grace
June 27: The All American Rejects - (self-titled)
June 28: Sugar - File Under Easy Listening
June 29: Emmet Swimming - Arlington to Boston
June 30: Apollo Four Forty - Gettin' High on your own supply
Best album: Feeder - Echo Park
Worst album: Hoobastank
Most disappointing: Pete Yorn - Day I Forgot
I cut out a lot of fat in the ol' CD collection this month. But I think I was just as surprised at some of the things I ended up liking, as the ones that sucked. Stay tuned in July as I buy new CDs with the money I make off selling these old ones. Oh, and that Fuel CD, the one I was going to wait until the end of the month to decide on? It's a sell. Better now than in two or three years, when I can't get anything for it.
I think July is going to be a random month; I've got a few "keep or sell" leftovers, a few punk leftovers, a few foreign leftovers, plus some stuff I recently purchased. E-mail me if you have any ideas for August themes.
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June 2: Snow Patrol - Final Straw
June 3: Feeder - Echo Park
June 4: Keane - Hopes and Fears
June 5: The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Daylight
June 6: Weezer - (self-titled)
June 7: Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible
June 8: The Wallflowers - (Breach)
June 9: Starsailor - Love is Here
June 10: Jimmy Fallon - The Bathroom Wall
June 11: Harvey Danger - King James Version
June 12: Pete Yorn - Day I Forgot
June 13: Various Artists - O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack
June 14: Hoobastank - (self-titled)
June 15: Fuel - Something Like Human
June 16: Audiovent - Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris
June 17: TRUSTcompany - The Lonely Position of Neutral
June 18: Taking Back Sunday - Tell all your friends
June 19: Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
June 20: Good Charlotte - The Young and the Hopeless
June 21: Avril Lavigne - Let Go
June 22: John Mayer - Room for Squares
June 23: The Ataris - So Long, Astoria
June 24: Treble Charger - Wide Awake Bored
June 25: Lisa Loeb - Firecracker
June 26: Jeff Buckley - Grace
June 27: The All American Rejects - (self-titled)
June 28: Sugar - File Under Easy Listening
June 29: Emmet Swimming - Arlington to Boston
June 30: Apollo Four Forty - Gettin' High on your own supply
Best album: Feeder - Echo Park
Worst album: Hoobastank
Most disappointing: Pete Yorn - Day I Forgot
I cut out a lot of fat in the ol' CD collection this month. But I think I was just as surprised at some of the things I ended up liking, as the ones that sucked. Stay tuned in July as I buy new CDs with the money I make off selling these old ones. Oh, and that Fuel CD, the one I was going to wait until the end of the month to decide on? It's a sell. Better now than in two or three years, when I can't get anything for it.
I think July is going to be a random month; I've got a few "keep or sell" leftovers, a few punk leftovers, a few foreign leftovers, plus some stuff I recently purchased. E-mail me if you have any ideas for August themes.
