Revisited: Louder Now

This morning, like on most weekdays, I got up from bed at ungodly 6:20 a.m., I rolled up the window shade, looked at the street covered in freshly fallen snow (seriously, at easter? at these latitudes?), and started humming Twenty-Twenty Surgery by Taking Back Sunday. It actually took me a while to figure out what song it was because I haven't listened to this band in quite some time.

A few minutes later, even though the process of waking up still wasn't fully underway, it finally struck me why I was humming this particular song. The brain sometimes works in mysterious ways and the associations do not always make much sense. People who understand this, work in advertising. However, in hindsight, this one was kinda obvious...

Justin Timberlake is everywhere right now. His newest record sold almost one milion copies in the first week in the US alone, and the universal praise makes it impossible to avoid. Needless to say, 20/20 Experience already peacefully dwells on my hard drive, and as hard as it may be to admit, it has me curious. It must wait, though, because now, after all these years, it's time to give Louder Now a spin or two.

I used to be a lot into TBS. And by "a lot", I mean A LOT. Along with Green Day, Linkin Park or My Chemical Romance, they used to shape my music taste in the formative years. Louder Now was the record that got me into them and by far my most favourite. There wasn't one weak track, and every anthem, from Liar to Error: Operator hit me just as hard. The album delivered exactly what the title promised, and I would play it at maximum volume more often than it would've been healthy. However, what I didn't know back then, the band's career curve had already started going downhill...

But that's a whole another story. Louder Now is great for what it is, uncompromising and accomplished straightforward rock album. Right now, I'm enjoying it just as much as I used to.

Conventional break-up

It's always sad to see a band go, but it's all the more saddening when it happens to one of your all time favourite acts. My Chemical Romance were never really the "cool" band to listen to, but I did nonetheless, because besides their emo tag and the Kerrang-band stigma, which never did them justice, there was a huge amount of talent and passion to back up the crazy outfits and layers of make-up. My Chem were always the take-it-or-leave-it type of band, and I'm glad I stumbled upon them at the perfect time, after the release of The Black Parade, which then went on to become one of the most influential albums in my life.

I wasn't that much into them the whole time, though. During the long gap that preceded the release of Danger Days, there was a period of time when I thought I had outgrown that kind of music. Thankfully, their Fabulous Killjoys persona and the post-apocalyptic concept completely reinvigorated my enthusiasm. Two years later, My Chem released what had been supposed to fill that gap, and everything fell into place. Most importantly, fans finally had their Conventional Weapons. But what they didn't know at the time, the "new" album was to become a swan song for the band...

According to one of the interviews I vaguely recall from the pre-Danger Days era, Gerard Way & Co. wanted to become a proper rock band. Their uncompromising take on Dylan's classic, Desolation Row, from The Watchmen soundtrack offered a good glimpse at what they had in mind. And really, the first two electrifying tracks of Weapons were very much in the vein of the aforementioned cover. Because above all, the album is pure rock'n'roll. Intense, raging anthems, powerful ballads and black leather jackets. This would have been a fantastic record.

Nevertheless, when compared to Danger Days, it becomes obvious this wasn't the band's true self. They always had to go all Freddie Mercury on everything. The hyperbole and theatrics were an essential part of their catalogue, but never a cheap gimmick. Within the scene and beyond, only they had the guts to go all the way, and enough drive and vision not to stumble in the middle. When all is said and done, this is reason why they'll be missed.

During their twelve-year-long career, they didn't make a bad record. Sure, Bullets was a bit rushed and immature, but still managed to become a landmark album for the genre and a personal favourite of numerous people. That said, My Chemical Romance were only getting better and more interesting with everything they released ever since.

The break-up came out of nowhere. Sessions for the next album were reportedly going great and it was supposed to see the light of day later this year. However, when you read Gerard Way's perspective, it all actually makes perfect sense. One can only admire a band able to step out of the bussiness while they're still at the top. For me, the only possible news worse than this would be if Jimmy Eat World called it quits. Sure, there's always hope. Perhaps, it is all just one big elaborate hoax with the sole purpose of getting out of a label contract, but honestly, I think it sounds too good to be true. I only know one thing. I'll be spinning their albums all week and then maybe some more. And because I could never write something that good myself, I'll leave you with this one last article.

Older albums revisited: Meltdown

I discovered Ash through Kerrang, back in the day when I still thought that magazine was worth following. They actually featured a useful article, which was a guide to the essential bands of an average present-day rock fan. Among all the AC/DCs, Metallicas, Placebos and Jimmy Eat Worlds, there was a band I hadn't heard of before but started to love them straight away. (As a matter of fact, that guide is still on Kerrang's webstite.)

As clichéd as it may sound, in the following years, Ash became one of the bands that helped to form my taste in music. I used to spin their records endlessly. From the sophomore album 1977, which approprietly kicks off with the sound of a TIE fighter passing by, to their last, much darker, Twilight of the Innocent. Because above all, the band has always stayed unbelievably consistent throughout the years. You won't run into many weaker songs in their discography. Instead, you are bound to find lots of brilliant ones.

Shining Light is the band's biggest selling single to date and was also covered by Annie Lennox. There can be no better invitation into their music...

Free All Angeles might the their most popular album so far, since it contains the phenomenal singles Shining Light and Burn Baby Burn and was their biggest critical success to date. It's most probably the best showcase of Ash's ability to write truly great lovesongs, as well as the tenderness and vulnerability in their music.

Although I treasure all their albums deeply, Meltdown have always remained my favourite. (Or perhaps on par with Free All Angeles, the more I think about it.) It presented a much darker and heavier side of Ash, with the sound infused with even a dash of metal at times. Thankfully however, that doesn't mean their melodic sensibilities got lost in the mix. If anything, the exact opposite thing happened. From the opening title track to the closer Vampire Love, the songs are all killer, no filler. And they're all so damn fun and catchy, with guitar riffs you just can't get out of your head.

Well, I guess I can't praise this band enough. Simply put, I think Ash are one of the most underappreciated and overlooked bands on the planet. They must be shaking hands with Feeder and Idlewild somewhere right now. It's a shame, really, that Ash refuse to release any more albums after Twilight of the Innocent, focusing only on stand-alone singles. Because if those are of any indication, fans would've had much to look forward to.

Thouhgts?

Travis

Sometimes, I tend to forget just how great some bands are. Right now, I've realized that with Travis. Somehow, I stumbled upon one of their songs and remembered I hadn't listened to them in a long while. To be honest, it's also partly their fault becuase the Glasgow quartet hasn't released any new material in four years. Fortunately, they plan to release a follow-up to Ode to J. Smith sometime in the first half of 2013.

The Very Best Of The Byrds

Although I've been a huge fan of The Byrds for over a year, it wasn't until recently, that I have finally "acquired" all of the band's studio albums. This whole time, I was spinning their 1997 best of compilation almost constantly, and it gradually became one of my all time favourite CDs.

Notice the trademark glasses of the frontman Roger McGuinn :)

I haven't grown tired of the band's versions of the Dylan's classics, for which they became famous in the first place, such as their first single ever Mr. Tambourine Man, or Pete Seeger's adaptation of the Book of Ecclesiastes Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) featured prominently on the Forrest Gump soundtrack. The Byrds crafted some of the best covers in the history of rock music. With richer intrumentation and Roger McGuinn's distinctive vocals, they had the ability to take those already brilliant songs to a whole new level. Not to speak about their originals, such as I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, Chestnut Mare or perhaps the first proper psychedelic rock anthem Eight Miles High.

Not unlike The Beatles, The Byrds introduced a unique amount of talent in each of its members. Most of whom found new success in their subsequent careers and inspired countless musicians of the generations that followed. Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby (of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) or Gram Parsons were all highly influential personas in the genres of psychedelic rock, country rock and folk.

The band's unmistakable sound owed a lot to Roger McGuinn's jangly guitar, the twelve-string Rickenbacker. The main reason I was hooked instantly, though, were the ethereal melodies. The Byrds were masters at crafting them, and were true equals to their contemporaries, The Beatles and The Beach Boys.

The CD is a selection of 27 songs from the first five years of the band's career (1965 to 1970) and really doesn't miss anything essential. Although the band's style changed significantly over the course of the years, from blending the folk revival and Beatlesque rock to psychedelia and country, the whole compilation still feels like a cohesive album. I'd even go as far and say that The Very Best of The Byrds is what "1" was to The Beatles. The ultimate collection. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone with at least a vague interest in the '60s music. (Or anyone, who still thinks today's indie folk rock bands do something special.)

Well, I had to get this out of my system. Since the first time I heard Turn! Turn! Turn! to this day, my love and respect for The Byrds have been only growing. They are one of the reasons why the music of the '60s was the best. And that's not an opinion, it's a fact.

Influential albums

This was actually one of the ideas I had on my mind when I was writing the first paragraph of the Nada Surf review back in January. I was planning to do this as a part of the "older albums revisited" section but it was st. tropez who finally forced me to get down to it. It took me three months...

I got into music much, much later than most of you. It wasn't until I discovered the secret of downloading. Yes, big surprise, I'm a pirate. Therefore almost all the albums mentioned here will be from the noughties. I may not listen to many of them anymore, but these records had a tremendous impact on my life and I'll always have a soft spot for them. Let's start with 21 albums that didn't make the final cut. I'm pretty sure I'll revisit them one day too.

AFI Sing the Sorrow
Arcade Fire The Suburbs
Ash Meltdown
Avenged Sevenfold City of Evil
Biffy Clyro Only Revolutions
Blink 182 Enema of the State
The Cure Disintegration
Fightstar Be Human
The Gaslight Anthem The '59 Sound
Idlewild Broken Promises
Journey Escape
The Killers Sam's Town
Lostprophets Liberation Transmission
Muse Black Holes And Revelations
Oasis What's the Story Morning Glory?
Rise Against The Sufferer & the Witness
Saosin Saosin
Silversun Pickups Swoon
Snow Patrol Eyes Open
Story of the Year Page Avenue
Taking Back Sunday Louder Now
Travis The Boy With No Name

The Beatles Help!

I think it's safe to say, that the Beatles have been with me all my life. I digged all of their songs when I heard them on the radio. But it wasn't until the 2009 remaster, which offered a great opportunity, that I checked their whole catalogue out and discovered there's a lot more to love than just the notoriously known singles. I could easily choose any Beatles' album, but I chose Help!, because the first track of the same name was literally the very first song ever to gain the title "my favourite song". Although, I was in elementary school and probably didn't even know any other band at that time. But that's not the point. I love the Beatles, period.

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"

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...

Revisiting: Lights Action

Amidst a week of work travel, I was given time to rediscover some bands that had seen the graveyard that is my iPod. While I constantly load it full of music, i'd estimate only 25% of the stuff actually gets listened too. While sitting on a plane scrolling through my rolodex of lost albums, I stumbled upon one that hasn't been listened too in quite some time. And that feeling of memories flooded back. And I remembered how much Lights Action debut (and to this date only) album impacted me.

The 5-piece British band got their start in the early 2000's, but didn't set the final lineup that would make Lights Action until 2007. In 2007, they released a mini album on British Sony imprint label, Xtra Mile. The early sound of the band never really caught my attention, and only had an average rating from Kerrang! After some time off, enhancing and adjusting their overall direction and sound, and deciding not to release their new work on Xtra Mile, the band started to write and record what would become Welcome to the New Cold World, with a budget of £15k. They sought out help from other recording artists, including Dallas Green (city and colour) and the boys of Canadian fan favorites Moneen. They produced a disc chock full of sound with varying Influences, but there is something for everyone. The band uses anything from piano to organ, to mellotrons, to live strings. With a sound of alternative indie rock in the styling of Death Cab, to stadium rock, to moments of Kings of Leon-esque country rock twang, the band covers it all.

Slowly, the band began to see benefits of their new sound, being hailed the British Arcade Fire by NME, The Daily Record calling their style "epic" and songwriting style along the lines of U2 and Coldplay. The CD was well received by the media, gaining 7/10 from NME, 4/5 from AU Magazine and Narc Magazine, but never really reached the masses as it should have. Here is the opening track, "Moscow", from the 2009 release.

Revisiting: Abandoned Pools

While I do not post often, I have decided the majority of my posts for NAW will be revisiting bands from my past that I really enjoyed, but maybe didn't take off like planned. Previously, I took a look at the tremulous career of one Alpha Rev, dubbed one of the next big acts by numerous music biz people, but never got the push they deserve. For this post, i'll revisit the climatic sounds of Abandoned Pools.

The first time I heard Abandoned Pools was in the summer of 2001. Born from the ashes of Tommy leaving his perviously well-known band, The Eels, due to creative differences, Tommy formed a few short-lived bands before focusing on his solo work, later named Abandoned Pools. Humanistic was released in 2001, with the song "The Remedy" being pushed heavily in rotation at rock radio stations around the US. While it was classified as a solo project, many friends of Tommy often helped in the recording and touring process, including Bryan Head (worked with Foreigner, Live, Eddie Vedder, Dave Navarro, and others).

After falling in love with the darkness of "The Remedy", fans were starved of new music for 4 years. Abandoned Pools eventually signed with Universal, released the progressive rock gem Armed to the Teeth. The album had little push from the label, so a few months after its release, Tommy walked away from the label, went on hiatus from Abandoned Pools, and worked on two side projects - alt-rock band Glacier Hiking with Ryan Teddar (of onerepublic fame) and electronic band oliver the penguin - all while working at an Apple Store in California to pass the time and pay the bills. In 2011, he picked Abandoned Pools back up, signed a record deal with Tooth & Nail Records, and is planning the release of a new CD, his first release in 7 years, entitled Sublime Currency. Below are a selection of songs from his two previous LPs, as well as one new song. While Tommy has yet to hit the success many thought Abandoned Pools were capable of, there is one last shot of hope on the horizon for Abandoned Pools, Tommy, and his career under the moniker.

"Waiting To Panic" off of Armed to the Teeth

"Lethal Killers" off of Armed to the Teeth

"The Remedy" off of Humanistic

"Marigold" off the upcoming album Sublime Currency

Older albums revisited: Alter the Ending

It's been a while since I listened to Dashboard Confessional for the last time, so I almost forgot how good their latest album was. And I'm of course talking especially about the deluxe edition of Alter the Ending, which contains both full-band and acoustic versions of each song. They NEED to release some new material soon.

Favourite Best of albums, part II

Obligatory link to the first part.

Your New Favourite Band

The Hives

It's rather unusual when a band releases greatest hits compilation before they even have a hit. But these ever so ridiculously boastful garage rock revivalists did it and it paid them off. Your New Favourite Band features twelve songs from each of their previous full-lengths and the A.K.A. I-D-I-O-T EP and is one of the essential rock albums of the 2000's. It was the first thing I heard from them and somewhere between the initial "Wtf?" and the subsequent "Haha, awesome!" they really became my favourite band. You simply gotta love those phenomenal guitar riffs and Pelle Almquist's unmistakable howling. Hopefully, their new album will come out soon. I can't wait...

Hate to Say I Told You So

Ring of Fire: The Legend of Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash
I've never been very fond of country. Actually, I hated it for at least half of my life... But man, this is Johnny Cash. Even the most confirmed country haters have to respect him for what he's accomplished. This album might not contain everything essential from those 1000+ songs Cash recorded, but as a highlight from his long career spanning for nearly fifty years, it works very well.


Hurt (Nine Inch Nails cover)


Ring of Fire

Favourite Best of albums, part I

Well, I've been listening to quite a few greatest hits compilations lately. A thing, I wasn't used to do before. I tend to have all the records from my favourite artists, and I usually play them as a whole. Therefore, I used to consider best of albums pretty much unnecessary. That has changed. I thought it would be a good idea to sum up those compilations that made a difference to me and ask you, my fellow music lovers, to share yours. :)

This is only the first part, because I don't have enough time and wanted to post something already. Expect the other part(s) in a week. Hopefully.

Scottish Fiction: Best of 1997 - 2007

Idlewild
I have to agree with Pitchfork on this one. Idlewild were built for such Best of compilations. Don't get me wrong, I like all of their albums, but I gotta admit, there are always three or five tracks that really stand out. I've already made my point about this band here, so I won't go any further. If I ever wanted to introduce Idlewild to someone, Scottish Fiction would do the job just fine.

These Wooden Ideas


El Capitan

Your History Is Mine: 2002 - 2009

Funeral for a Friend

FFaF released this extensive double disc compilation album just two years ago, so it is still a pretty fresh pick. Along with the band's most famous tracks from all of their albums, it also features four brand new songs. And trust me when I say that they are no fillers. Wrench, being arguably the best of them, also marks a new direction for the band, who have been re-dicovering their heavier side since then. I dare to say this is a must-have album for all their fans.

Roses for the Dead


Wrench