Bw’s Blog

It’s really nice to see someone who can keep on making music at any age, and I’m sure that Neil Young will keep on going until it’s no longer possible. Although his new album, Fork In The Road, doesn’t have the same magic as previous albums, it still kicks ass.

One of the first things I noticed on this album is the natural spaceyness of the recordings. Particularily on the guitar sound, you can really hear the room that the band was recorded in. This is a nice effect, and it sounds far better than most artificial reverberation. A similar technique was used on Harvest, and I’m sure most of his other albums as well.

The first two songs didn’t do too much for me, but number 3, Just Singing A Song, is a good indicator that Neil still has it in him. The guitar playing is typical Young, and the song starts off with a beautiful little guitar solo before he brings in the lyrics. The vocal melody is one that competes with any other I’ve ever heard from him  - pure greatness.

Next up is Johnny Magic, and it gives us a bit of aggression. This song is fairly fast-paced and it’s one of the heavier songs on the album. The vocals are okay, but they’re not too inspiring. Light A Candle is the softest song on the album, and it reminds me of the acoustic performances of old. It includes a moving vocal melody and some sweet-sounding slide guitar.

The title-track isn’t all that great. As the longest song on the album, I expected it to be worth it’s length…it isn’t. The song seems to go on too long, and it’s quite uninteresting all the way through. Oh well…

Overall, there were some definite dull moments but there were also some great new songs. Is this another classic album from Neil Young? I would say no, but it’s still pretty cool.

BW.

Protest The Hero is a hardcore/metal band from Ontario, and they have serious musical skill. If you thought their last album, Kezia, was good, you’ll love Fortress.

The album combines some serious metal riffs, complex rhythms, and the smooth wailings of vocalist, Rody Walker. The album starts off in a big way, and the band does not hold back the intensity (it doesn’t end until the album does).

The opener, Bloodmeat, is just under four minutes of great music, and they throw in one of their signature epic choruses halfway through. I find that the hardcore style can be come too abrasive after awhile, but Protest The Hero keeps it pretty fresh for the most part. Besides, if you’re into metal, you should be used to it anyways.

My favorite song on the album right now is the single, Palms Read. The song features an incredible guitar riff that is as catchy as it is intricate. This song has the most memorable vocal melodies, and it’s quite pleasant to listen to. I also enjoyed the short bass solo.

This album impressed me more than I expected it to, and the intensity of the music is nothing to cast aside. As a serious step up from Kezia, Fortress is a great album from a great band.

I strongly recommend going to myspace.com/protestthehero and checking out their music.

BW.

I remember seeing this video a while ago by a “band” called Metro Station, and being plagued by the song, Shake It.

This is a band that was basically formed on the set of Hannah Montana, in which the siblings of both founding members are the main characters. Guitarist Trace Cyrus is the older brother of Miley Cyrus, and lead singer Mason Musso’s younger brother Mitchell also stars on the show.

Now, as you can tell from the picture on the left, Trace Cyrus is one of the most emo people in the world, and the music reflects that. While, Musso can barely squeek out the vocals, Cyrus is just pathetic. His voice just sounds creepy.

The song, Shake It, is completely unbearable and barely passes for music. I was shocked to find that some of my friends believe that this band is credible…they are not. See how bad they are at myspace.com/metrostation

Unfortunately, I’m sure we’ll be hearing more music from this terrible, terrible, band. Thanks Disney.

BW.

Okay, so I know that Keith Urban plays a specific genre of music that I’m not really into, but I can still tell that he crosses the “crap” boundary a few times on his new album, Defying Gravity.

I’ve seen videos of Keith playing guitar, and I know that he’s a talented musician, so it makes me wonder why he plays such insincere music. I guess it sells more albums…

The album opener, Kiss A Girl, is one of the lamest songs I’ve heard in a long time. The initial guitar riff is pretty good, but as soon as the vocals come in the song goes down-hill. The lyrics in the chorus are so insincere that I have to hold myself back from turning it off. It’s as if he took them straight out of every other lame country song every written. Pure crap…thanks Keith.

The first single, Sweet Thing, also starts off with an interesting guitar line. Although the lyrics are still pretty terrible, they’re not as pathetic as Kiss A Girl. The verses sound quite dated, as if this song was written in the 80s. Nothing innovative here (that was an understatement).

I wish I could say that there are some good songs on this album, but there’s just nothing. With generic song titles such as My Heart Is Open, Hit The Ground Runnin’, and Thank You, Keith Urban has become synonymous with cliche. Do yourself a favor and skip this album.

Sincerely,

BW. 

The second album from A Camp was inspired by a trip by Nina Persson to South Africa, where she was reminded of an old-fashioned empire. Persson is also the singer for the Swedish pop-band, The Cardigans.

The album starts off heavy on the old-fashioned theme, which is an appropriate way of introducing the music to the listeners. The Crowning is a theatrical song that combines Persson’s kooky lyrics with some interesting instrumentals. This song is alright, but it didn’t quite tickle my fancy.

 Stronger Than Jesus is the debut single from the album, and I would have to agree that it’s one of the catchier songs. The choruses are instantly wedged into your ears when you hear them, and the rest of the song is equally exciting. The lyrics are a little iffy in my opinion, and I’m not too sure what they mean - but that doesn’t bother me much.

There are some softer moments on Colonia, like the endearing Bear On The Beach, and there are some energetic moments, like Here Are Many Wild Animals, but they’re all tied together with a solid consistency throughout.

Nina Persson and the rest of her band did a great job on Colonia, and I hope to hear future albums from A Camp.

Sincerely,

BW.

This is one thing that’s been pissing me off for quite a long time and needs addressing. Not that it’s going to make a difference…

It seems that every time I’m on the bus or subway, someone has to abuse me with their abnoxiously loud music while I’m trying to read or listen to my OWN music. Yeah, even when I have headphones on I can still hear other people’s music…and that’s even more annoying.

Okay, when someone’s wearing headphones, and they don’t realize that everyone else can hear it, that’s not so bad (it’s still pretty fucking annoying). But when some ass thinks that because his cellphone has a speaker on it, that gives him the right to blast his awful music for everyone else to hear.

I’m not even going to mention what genre of music is the common choice, because that’s not important. Do these people think they somehow appear cooler because we know that their music sucks, and that they have no common decency? It takes everything I have not to fucking yell at these dumbass kids.

Anyone else know what I’m talking about?

BW. 

Due out next week, Silversun Pickups have recently put the finishing touches on their second album, Swoon. It’s been almost 3 years since their debut, Carnavas, which made quite a splash with the song Lazy Eye.

The first single, Panic Switch, gives listeners a taste of what this album will sound like. The first 50 seconds are filled with a screeching guitar solo that may turn off as many listeners as it attracts, but once you get to the chorus it’s obvious why they released this song as a single. The melody is endearing, pleasant, and most importantly, memorable. I foresee extensive radio play for this song in the near future, and it’ll get a lot of ear-time with gamers as it’s being released for Guitar Hero as well.

It’s Nice To Know You Work Alone is another song that will soon be available for Guitar Hero, and it’s a good one. This song has an interesting combination of soft vocals, crunchy guitar, hard drums, and a string section. The combination of these instruments makes it easy to see why the band is often compared to the Smashing Pumpkins.

There are a few softer songs on Swoon, such as the dark sounding Draining, which gives listeners a change of pace from the heavier stuff. The depressing effect is strong on this song, and I can get a good sense of what the songwriter(s) was feeling when the song was written. This song could easily be a soundtrack to a movie, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I hear it in that scenario one day.

Overall, the album is a great second effort for a relatively new band. They’ve managed to maintain the same sonic signature from Carnavas, while at the same time evolving their sound to create something new. I’d love to see this band live to see if they can impress me some more.

Check out myspace.com/silversunpickups

Sincerely,

BW. 

So, 18 years later, Pearl Jam has remixed and re-released one of their greatest albums, Ten.

And if you’re wondering what that means, it doesn’t mean that they added dance beats and synthesizers to the music. What they did was take the original recordings and do an alternate mix of the album by changing levels, eq, compression, etc.

The band has previously stated dissatisfaction with how the album sounds, and have been thinking about re-mixing it for several years. All the performances on the album are the exact same ones from the original version, but now you can hear certain parts more prominently and clearly.

As all the performances are the same, there’s not much music to talk about. All the classics are still there: Even Flow, Alive, Jeremy, etc. But now they’re better than ever!

If you’re a fan of Pearl Jam, you’ll definitely appreciate the new album, but you might find that listening to it on your computer speakers doesn’t really do the new mix justice. Also, if you’re really into the band, you might want to check out the $200+ package that includes a replica cassette, vinyl, and CD version.

Sincerely,

BW.

This is my first time listening to Neko Case, but she’s been a part of Canadian and international music for many years now. She first started as a part time vocalist for the New Pornographers, and began releasing her solo albums soon after that.

Her latest album, Middle Cyclone, is a good example of how powerful she can be as a vocalist and as a guitarist. The album features several guest musicians including members of Calexico, New Pornographers, M. Ward (click here to read a review of his latest album), and more.

Some songs on this album feature what Case refers to as a “piano orchestra”. She collected as many free pianos that she could find and placed them all in her barn/studio, tuned them up, and had her and her friends play several of them at the same time. It doesn’t sound as epic as you might think, but the effect is still pretty cool. Also, on the song Polar Nettles you can clearly hear naturally recorded birdsong, which was a staple of recording in the barn.

There’s some great drumming on this album, and I particularly like the spacious introduction to Fever. The rest of the song is equally enjoyable, and the rest of the instruments come together with the drum track quite nicely. This is one of the best songs on the album.

Overall, the instrumentation was solidly performed and the songs are passionately written - although not overly inspiring for me. I’m not sure if I’ll be listening to this album after I write this review, but I can say the the music was entertaining for the time being.

Sincerely,

BW. 

This is a great performance by MGMT on the David Letterman show. They’re playing their song, Time To Pretend.