Hey, did we miss something this month? You bet. Here's a little look back at a few February releases that slipped past us: Men At Work "Business as Usual" "Cargo" The "Business as Usual" re-release is just that.
Solo records are rarely solo efforts. Telecommunication sophomore Valentin Narvaez' newest project, "Steal This Album" (not to be confused with a similarly titled album from System of a Down), which came to be after reading Abbie Hoffman's "Steal This Book," is an entire solo effort - with a little help from his girlfriend. After writing and recording all the instruments and vocals in his room for "Steal This Album" - an album which Narvaez said "revolves around a political frame of mind" - his girlfriend, elementary education freshman Elizabeth Tappon, helped contribute backing vocals on the album's title track and "Growing Up as a Minority." The album itself is a full mix of different influences and sounds.
Metal heads and hard metal albums have been on a comeback in recent years (in case you haven't noticed). Thanks to a number of bands who have reintroduced the sound, voil
Disappointment is the word when referring to the first live release by Detroit blues rockers the Soledad Brothers.
Collaborations are an interesting topic in music. Sometimes they can be a dimensional can opener which takes music to places never thought possible - other times it sounds just like the new soundtrack for the crotch-rocket blockbuster "Biker Boyz." With tracks by big names such as Ja Rule, Metallica and Redman, one might expect a more solid effort on some commercial pop level. Instead, a combination of R&B, metal, electronic, hip-hop and rap creates an album which often sounds misguided and noisy. Metallica rears its other face with an interesting collaboration with Ja Rule and Swizz Beatz.
Mason - Love hurts, and local musician Aylius' acoustic guitar is the perfect illustration. Just more than a year old, the guitar is scratched and worn, almost to the point of creating a hole above the pickguard.
A lot of good artists have been entering the area via the local scene's birthing canal as of late - thefarewelldrive could be the area's brainchild. With its first EP, "if yes, explain:" scheduled for release in mid-Feburary, the group could well prove the area's new strongman. Though based out of Ann Arbor, thefarewelldrive does have local ties - bassist John Paul is an MSU journalism student and drummer Dan Julian, a 2002 MSU graduate, is a former State Newser. A powerful demonstration of talent with an impressive contribution from lead vocalist Andrew Lutes, the EP becomes even more impressive upon learning it was recorded in a five-day session in Chicago. Opening track "The Truth in Lies" leads into the album with a floating melody, later pounding into a chorus of, "And these words they sound too simple/But I'm sure that they are right." It's a powerful mark to make at the beginning of an album and does throw the listener off a bit.
Who said the space program is dead? The musically-inspired portion, at least, is very much alive. Local space cadets The Fuzz hunker down for the release of their second full-length album, "Noise Destroyers." Opening with a spacey yet creepily-appealing introduction, the voiceless track "The Largest Number" would fit perfectly into any "Lost in Space" episode.
With only $600 in their budget, members of East Lansing's the giveaway didn't have much to work with in the production of their new EP "wake up." The album's seven tracks could see the giveaway get a foot in the door much the same way as bands such as Nirvana and Red Hot Chili Peppers have done - with a low-budget album and a local following. Financed with the help of family members and recorded in just a few takes or less, "wake up" is a creative statement with plenty of raw feeling. A floating melody of four gentle keyboard notes, an obvious acoustic guitar and just the right touch of drums lead into the EP's first song, "Undeveloped." The vocals on the track interlink with the flow of the music, especially in the chorus, but aren't always as strong with the backing music of the verse.
There's a few things people should know about Swizz Beatz. No. 1: He's a rapper. No.
Bright Eyes' "Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground" is a hard album to categorize; if I had to, I'd file it under 'Emo for losers.' If you can get past the first whiny, lyrically challenged track, "The Big Picture," you might be a fan - but don't go publicly admitting that. After nearly two minutes of background noise, Conor Oberst cries about "trying to find your way out of that maze of memories," whatever that means.
What does it take to make an honest album? Or better yet, what does it take just to make it? With two successful albums under its belt, the Motor City's Sponge turned local ripples into national waves.
Tim McGraw is one fortunate singin' country boy. He's been on top of the country world for almost a decade and somewhere in between, married Faith Hill and sang "It's Your Love." Then everything else became insignificant. On his seventh album, "Tim McGraw and The Dancehall Doctors," McGraw is still laboring for the success of his 1997 release "Everywhere," which undoubtedly is still his best to date.
I used to like Matchbox Twenty. In fact, America used to love Matchbox Twenty, with its amazingly successful debut album "Yourself Or Someone Like You." Then, singer Rob Thomas went off to conquer the world, sang "Smooth" for Santana and ruined it for everyone.
Shania Twain is one hot woman. Her videos make no sense and her music doesn't apply to people who aren't normally in love, but she looks good, so we don't mind watching - and her voice isn't that bad, either. Molding with society's trend, Twain's music abruptly switched from country to pop-country in 1997 with "Come On Over," launching her career further.
If you think "Steal This Album!" is a new album, you're mistaken. It's the left over music that never made it to a record. This 16-track collection of original, completed and unreleased material originates back to before System Of A Down signed with American in 1995 to as recently as the 2001 "Toxicity" sessions. The band claims the songs are as good, if not better than the songs that did make it to the albums - but artists always say that crap.
Southern natives strike a dull chord 3 Doors Down "Away From The Sun" (Universal Records) 3/5 The boys from Mississippi are back with their follow-up to the immensely popular "The Better Life." Continuing where it left off, the album fuses southern rock with some subtle post-grunge melodies and even more atmospheric tunes that made its debut successful.
It's undeniably evident that Pearl Jam keeps creating ageless music that swells with an earnest and romantic allure with every record. The band's albums have rocked a generation, with Eddie Vedder's yearning vocals and thick, brooding epics that mold from an ever-changing world's influence.
For those of you who are still unaware of the southern rock band Saliva, you must be living under a rock.
Hailing from the city of sin, neon lights and a never-ending silver river of flowing slot machines, Clockwise has emerged from a music scene that goes virtually unnoticed. Never in a million years would anyone expect a band to rise out of Las Vegas without pawning its instruments somewhere along the way to keep feeding the addiction that is gambling.