Strangeland

I'm a little behind schedule with these...

After Perfect Symmetry and the Night Train EP, I honestly didn't have high hopes for Keane's upcoming album. I feared they would go even further in terms of experimentation with synths, other weird sounds and collaborating with rappers such as K'naan. I was afraid they would eventually spiral out of my interest like a broken toy (which, I think, was the case with most of their fans). Fortunately, though, as the lead single suggested, they've put the weird stuff behind them, went back in time and released an album that is much alike their first two.

However, the record mixes certain elements from all their previous albums, which gives it a rich, complex sound. The fast and upbeat songs sound fabulous, the ballads are powerful and there isn't one weak track. As a whole, this is a very cohesive effort, not "going bananas" in a studio.

Strangeland is a welcome return to form. Keane is, once again, the band we used to love, fully understanding what their biggest assets are and acting like Night Train was nothing but a bad dream. Some may consider it a step back, a safe return to the comfort zone, but as I see it, fans couldn't expect an album better than this. It's no coincidence the band scored fifth number one on the UK album chart in a row (the EP counts too), an achievement only surpassed by the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, ABBA and Eminem. Hopefully, this is not the last time. Keane put themselves back on the map and showed they are still a force to be reckoned with. While Strangeland might not be a creative milestone for the band, it gives them an opportunity for a fresh start of sorts.

Best tracks: Silenced By the Night, Sovereign Light Cafe, Neon River

Born and Raised

Remember the time before st. tropez started his journey into the history of '90s and '00s music? There was an album we all talked about and were looking forward to... Yes, the latest John Mayer effort. Here are my thoughts. Don't consider this to be a proper review, though, because I'm no John Mayer expert...

Firstly, I just love the artwork.

Anyways, half a year ago, I wasn't exactly a John Mayer fan. The amount of praise his albums were getting repelled the little hipster in me. Besides, this solo singer/songwriter stuff was never my cup of tea. But then a friend of mine forced me to actually give his albums a shot and I did. Well, I didn't love it, but I liked it enough to give it a few spins and enjoy it for the while. Then suddenly, as the release date of his new album approached, I found myself looking forward to Born & Raised.

It's the folkier sound which I find most appealing about the new album. Many great musicians go folk eventually, and hardly ever there comes anything bad out of it. This isn't the case either. Although it wasn't that big of a change for Mayer as he still stays clearly recognisable and never wanders outside his own niche...



...with a notable exception, of course. The song Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967, as st. tropez already mentioned, isn't like anything we ever heard from Mayer. So let's give the man some credit for that. It's a fantastic song. If only he did something like that more often, because it shows everything I miss in the rest of Mayer's music. If only I knew how to put it in words... Stronger melodies? More passion? Probably. Nevertheless, when Mayer hits the strings, you know it's always worth the time. In the end, this is an all-around great record and the folkier sound shouldn't put anybody off.

Best tracks: Queen of California, Shadow Days, Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967

100 influential albums 20-1

We've made it to the end. It's been a fun week, sharing my most influential albums  with you all and hearing your thoughts/reactions to them. My boss, on the other hand, probably doesn't like the 30 minutes I take out daily this week to post all of these. Luckily for him, I wrote this up last night and just have to push submit, so I gave him back 28 extra minutes of the work day, which i'll inevitably tack on to my lunch hour for good measure. And yes, I know you all are thinking it... st. tropez does have a 8-5 day job at a desk with a big fancy window. I wear ties to work sometimes too. Anyway, without further adieu, here are the top 20 influential CDs on my life up to this point. Maybe in 10 years, when we're all getting old(er) and still listening to hip new music, i'll revisit this list and give it the 'ol update.

20. Dishwalla "Opaline"

I was always a casual dishwalla fan ever since the days of the one-hit wonder, "counting blue cars". Well, from 1996-2002, I did very little to advance my liking of the band, until they released the wonderful 'Opaline'. I always remembered their early stuff being pretty raw, borderline rock borderline alternative. I was in high school, and was caught in-between a fascination of new rock bands like Trapt and TRUSTcompany, and Dishwalla singlehandedly brought my back to my 90's alternative style with this release. It was fresh, it was different, and it was chilled out. "Somewhere in the Middle" had very mild radio success, but it was the emotional songs like "Every Little Thing", "Home", and "Candleburn" that captured me. And years later, after digging it out of the archive, I rediscovered gems I use to skip over, like "Nashville Skyline" and "Mad Life". 10 years later, it is still I CD I spin and can find a lasting freshness with. 

19. Augustana "All the Stars and Boulevards"

Surprisingly, it was not due to "Boston" that I discovered this song. It was actually the title track. I loved it. I was a freshman in college, and I remember listening to this song on a road trip with my roommate and two other girls. While there wasn't any romance between any of us, I saw right away that this CD was special. As we drove the long and winding country roads of Missouri one night to reach our destination, this CD was our listen of choice. The girls instantly fell in love, had me burn them CDs, and this band kind of became "our" band for our friendship over the years. A year later, once my girlfriend graduated high school in Oklahoma and joined us in Missouri for college, her and I, along with the two girls, took a road trip to Arkansas one weekend to see Augustana and Goo Goo Dolls, and I just remember how fun that experience was. And I remember watching the connection everyone, including me, had made with this band. Everything released since, I always contact those people, my now-ex, and the two girls, and we discuss our thoughts. Nostalgia often times lends itself to impact your mood, your likes and wants. And the nostalgia attached to this album does just that.

18. The New Frontiers "Mending"

It really took me awhile to fully understand this disc. It was strange. Alternative country was the genre they chose to go with back in 06 when they launched, and in 08, after two EPs, they finally released 'Mending'. Shortly after the release and a small tour in support of This Will Destroy You, the band called it quits. They went their own ways, some members joining another Texas band called The Rocketboys, and others kind of did their own thing. I credit this CD with really getting me into folk. You say, "well, Alt Country isn't really folk..." and I agree, but in 2008 and my adult alternative induced state of mind, this CD ushered me into liking what would come in 2010 with the folk explosion in the music scene with the likes of Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver, and others. That bit of twang, the sound of the acoustics, and the laid back approach mixed with a Copeland/Alive In Wild Paint feel ushered me into what I listen to now. That and "Walking On Stones" is still one of my all time favorite songs.

100 influential albums 100-21

Recently, I sat down on a rainy Saturday afternoon looking for something to do outside of work, drinking a cold carlsberg and watching Cast Away. I began to look back at my 25 years of living. I looked at what I was currently listening too, being the resident indie/unknown band/90s styled adult alternative guru of this site, I wanted to revisit my youth and discover where my love for these styles come from. Through the haze of poor memory, of childhood stupidity, and through the four carlsbergs I cracked back during this process, I tried my best to encompass my musical journey and upbringing in 100 discs that, to this point in my life, have impacted not only who I am as a person, but the direction of my musical taste. After pitching the idea to Memphis, he encouraged me to post it on here for all to read and reflect on. I agreed.

So, for the next five days, I will be posting, in chunks of twenty, the 100 most influential albums in my life. Understand, please, this is not my take on the 100 best albums ever, or the 100 most influential albums in the world ever. This is strictly albums that have impacted me. I'm sure there will be surprises for everyone, bands you wouldn't imagine from me, and surely the typical disc you've never even heard of. I will not comment on the discs directly until I hit the final twenty, aside from a small snippet about the entire cluster, but if anyone wants to ask why on a certain disc, please do so in the comments, and i'll tell you my connection with it. So, here we go, time to learn about st. tropez and where my musical influence comes from.

The first 20 are pretty random. Things from rap to 90s pop and alternative. This section really encompasses me to the upmost. It has stuff that my parents introduced me to, to stuff from my childhood, to high school, and even a few modern day releases.

100. Will Smith "Big Willie Style"
99. The Rolling Stones "Forty Licks"
98. Blessid Union of Souls "Walking Off the Buzz"
97. Steel Train "Twilight Tales from the Prairies of the Sun"
96. Gym Class Heroes "The Papercut Chronicles"
95. Prime STH "Underneath The Surface"
94. Silverchair "Neon Ballroom"
93. This Will Destroy You "Young Mountain"
92. The Killers "Hot Fuss"
91. New Found Glory "Self-Titled"
90. Dr. Dre "Chronic 2001"
89. Sublime "Self-Titled"
88. Counting Crows "This Desert Life"
87. Smashing Pumpkins "Mellon Collie and the infinite Sadness"
86. Lucky Boys Confusion "Throwing The Game"
85. Ryan Adams "Love is Hell"
84. Savage Garden "Self-Titled"
83. Parachute "Losing Sleep"
82. SR-71 "Now You See Inside"
81. Peter Bradley Adams "Leavetaking"
80. Red Hot Chili Peppers "Californication"


The second set of twenty-ish, 79-60, really draws a lot from my high school years with a lot of punk rock and pop punk, along with the lone radio-friendly crap rock of the late 90's-early 00's.


79. Limp Bizkit "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water"
78. The Jealous Sound "Kill Them With Kindness"
77. Sugar Ray "14:59"
76. Lydia "Illuminate"
75. Nine Days "The Madding Crowd"
74. The Midway State "Holes"
73. Mat Kearney "Bullet"
72. Mae "Destination: Beautiful"
71. Sugarcult "Start Static"
70. Mumford & Sons " Sigh No More"
69. July For Kings "Swim"
68. Stone Temple Pilots "Thank You"
67. Better Than Ezra "Closer"
66. The All-American Rejects "Self-Titled"
65. Paper Route "Absence"
64. Tonic "Lemon Parade"
63. Oasis "What's The Story (Morning Glory)"
62. Thursday "Full Collapse"
61. Kimone "The Mill"
60. Radiohead "Kid A"


Halfway there. 59-40 provides the pivotal turning point in my musical exploration. Influence is as vast as you'll see in the list on these twentyish discs, from christian to rock, brit rock to rock, rap to classic rock/oldies, and punk/emo to unknown. This is truly the epitome of the list, and the widest array on the list.


59. Minus The Bear "Highly Refined Pirates"
58. Switchfoot "The Beautiful Letdown"
57. This Is Me Smiling "Self-Titled"
56. We The Kings "Self-Titled"
55. There Will Be Fireworks "Self-Titled"
54. Puff Daddy and the Family "No Way Out"
53. Kings of Leon "Only By The Night"
52. Dashboard Confessional "The Places You've Come to Fear the Most"
51. Vertical Horizon "Everything You Want"
50. Snow Patrol "Final Straw"
49. Matchbox Twenty "Yourself or Someone Like You"
48. Blink-182 "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket"
47. The Juliana Theory "Emotion is Dead"
46. Death Cab for Cutie "Transatlanticism"
45. Jimi Hendrix "Experience Hendrix"
44. Foo Fighters "The Colour and Shape"
43. Linkin Park "Hybrid Theory"
42. The Spill Canvas "Sunsets & Car Crashes"
41. Jackson Browne "Solo Acoustic"
40. Lifehouse "No Name Face"


The final set of songs before we hit the top 20. As we creep closer to the top, it's fairly evident that these discs hold a lot of meaning to me. Just to name a few, Aerosmith's "Young Lust", albeit a greatest hits album, really got me into the back catalog of the band and formed an unhealthy obsession with songs like "Dream On", "Girls of Summer", "Sweet Emotion" and "Jaded". Kanye's '808...' was the CD I spun constantly while living in London, and Springsteen's 'The River' was one of my dads favorite records and one I grew up with. Jars of Clay was the first CD I ever owned that wasn't a jock jams mash up, and P.O.S. caught my attention on 'Audition', but redefined what hip-hop was to me on 'Never Better', as Frank Ocean did with R&B. Name Taken was a CD I bought on a whim, but after months of spinning it, realized it was something special and still something I spin regularly today. As for JEW, I couldn't really decide on what disc impacted me more, because both did at different times in my life. Flickerstick was the best live show I saw growing up in middle school until I saw Elton John, and has since been passed by numerous other shows, but it's still a band (winner of VH1's Bands on the Run) that I hold close to my childhood.
20-1 I will comment on each disc and it's importance to me, and will feature in an entirely separate post. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, and to revealing my top 20 most impactful albums on my life to this point tomorrow.


39. Acceptance "Phantoms"
38. Justin Kings and the Apologies "Self-Titled"
37. Aerosmith "Young Lust"
36. Incubus "Morning View"
35. Kanye West "808's and Heartbreaks"
34. Trapt "Self-Titled"
33. Bruce Springsteen "The River"
32. Jars of Clay "Self-Titled"
31. City & Colour "Sometimes"
30. Feeder "Pushing The Senses"
29. P.O.S. "Never Better"
28. Last Days of April "Angel Youth"
27. Frank Ocean "Nostalgia, Ultra"
26. Eve 6 "It's All In Your Head"
25. Name Taken "Hold On"
24. MuteMath "Self-Titled"
23. Jimmy Eat World "Clarity / Futures"
22. Emerson Hart "Cigarettes & Gasoline"
21. Flickerstick "Welcoming Home the Astronauts"

Queen of California

Listen to the new John Mayer song. His next album, Born and Raised is due out May 22. To read a track-by-track review, head over to st. tropez's blog.

Older albums revisited: Flamingo

Later this year, The Killers will realease their first album since 2008. Since the news emerged, I've been revisiting their older catalogue, from Hot Fuss to Sawdust. Then suddenly, Brandon Flowers' solo album came to my mind.

...and I have to admit, I like it much better now than I did when it came out. Back then, it was too poppy. It had everything I didn't like about Day & Age. Too many synths, piano and no guitars. Well, listening to it now, I actually enjoy it for the same reasons I love all the Killers' albums. Even on his own, Brandon Flowers can still write big melodies. Besides, the lead single Crossfire hasn't aged a day and is still absolutely fantastic.



Nevertheless, here's to hoping that the new album's gonna be a lot more like Sam's Town. I can't wait...

Generation Freakshow

I got into the Welsh rock band Feeder during their Silent Cry era. I loved that album, but I wasn't quite following them since, because, in all honesty, their next output, Renegades, was less than memorable. By the end of April, though, the band came back with their eighth full-length. So, how good is it?



Well, I'm glad to say Generation Freakshow a very solid record and a comeback of sorts. It's perhaps not that daring compared to their older material but Feeder confidently stick to what they do best, and in their early forties, they still do it with passion. The radio anthems Borders and Idaho are certainly the high points there, but the record keeps a very high standart for the whole duration. More then twenty years in their career, Feeder are definitely still a band worth keeping an eye on.

Best tracks: Borders, Idaho, Generation Freakshow

Write This Down

If you've never heard of Write This Down, I'd recommend checking them out. They are a Christian rock band from Minnesota. Anyway, they just released a song for their next album, entitled "Crash and Burn". Check it out:



Here's the first song I ever heard by them, which I immediately fell in love with:

Let me know what you think!