m-Log @ musicmedia.net

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Been a bit, so I thought I write some short briefs on what I’ve been listening to over the last month or so. By the way, I moved to Raleigh this week from Boston. I’m starting a fulltime MBA program next week at UNC, Chapel Hill. We’ll see if the southern influence has any affect on my music tastes…

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium - Purchased @ iTunes on May 12, 2006

OK. So this was from May but the disc definitely deserves a mention. Its amazing how balanced this “double” album stays through its 28 songs. For those of you that gave up on the Chilis after One Hot Minute, it’s definitely time to catch up. Stadium Arcadium continues in the vein of Californication and By The Way and the first single, “Dani California,” is far from the best track. Maybe more like the 7th or 8th best. Rating: *****

Dixie Chicks - Taking the Long Way - Purchased @ iTunes on June 2, 2006

Some has to listen to them since country fans won’t anymore. I’m not a country music guy, but this Rick Rubin produced romp is really a pop album anyhow, right? With co-writing credits from Neil Finn, Sheryl Crow, Heartbreaker Mike Campbell, the Jayhawks’ Gary Louris, Semisonic’s Dan Wilson, and Keb’ Mo’, there are a lot of different influences on the album. This purchase did pre-date my southern migration, so I can blame my interest on locale. Rating: ****

Gnarls Barkley - “Crazy” (Single) - Purchased @ iTunes on June 2, 2006

So this song simply kicks fanny. The album is selling like hot cakes but I’ve listened to a few of tracks and haven’t found the same magic anywhere else. Too bad. Rating: “Crazy” (Single) *****, St. Elsewhere (Full Album) **

Taylor Hicks - “Do I Make You Proud” / “Takin’ It to the Streets” - Purchased @ iTunes on June 14, 2006

As mentioned before, I’m an American Idol junkie. I do enjoy these new tracks from Taylor Hicks, but I think Catherine will have more commercial success in the long run. Idol is built for creating pop stars and Taylor is not pop. The guy can sing and perform though so he definitely has a shot to make it. However, I suggest he put the millions he must be getting from Ford in the bank somewhere. Rating: ***

Bonus Review: I got Bo Bice’s The Real Thing from BMG in March and it beat all my expectations. I thought Bo was great on Idol, but I figured they screw up the album. Rating: ****

Counting Crows - New Amsterdam - Live At Heineken Music Hall February 6, 2003 - Purchase @ iTunes on June 20. 2006

Counting Crows are an amazing band that are even better in person. I’ve been spoiled though having gotten to see them twice now from the front of the stage. Basically this is a solid cross section of live performances from their 4 studio albums, plus 2 new songs. Doesn’t quite compare to the Across a Wire VH-1 Storyteller’s performances though. Rating: ****

Guster - Ganging Up On the Sun - Purchased @ iTunes on June 20, 2006

Guster’s fifth studio album continues the bands progression from the raw three-man acoustic magnificence of Goldfly to refined tightly-orchestrated pop/rock. The album isn’t bad, it just doesn’t live up to past efforts. Or maybe this is just the sour grapes of a fan who stuck in the past. Ganging Up On the Sun just slogs along at a semi-slow pace though. I wish they would just really rock it out for a track or to. I just want another “Airport Song.” Highlight of the album has got to be the folky “The Captain”, though. Rating: ***

Keane - Under the Iron Sea - Purchased @ iTunes on June 20, 2006

I can’t say I’ve been able to give this disk my full attention. Keane is one those groups whose songs are all VERY similar sounding, but a few of them take that sound and just nail it. You can listen to the whole album easily enough, but there’s probably only 4 songs you’ll remember distinctly. And you’ll find yourself craving those 4 songs. (The 4 songs are “Leaving So Soon, “Nothing In My Way,” “Let It Slide”, and “Is It Any Wonder”) Rating: ***.5

Tool - 10,000 Days - Purchased @ Target on June 28, 2006

I told you I have an eclectic taste for music. Yes I did buy Tool and Dixie Chicks this month. This album wasn’t available on iTunes, but I’m glad I got a hard copy because the artwork is amazing. It’s got these glasses and it works like an old-fashion spectrograph with each page of the booklet offering a different 3-D picture. I’ve only taken a couple of passes through the disc, but I have yet to find a single song that sticks out of the pack. Still it is Tool with the thick bass, the sharp guitars, and the haunting vocals. Unfortunately, I think these guys peaked on Aenima. Rating: ***

I know…when creating titles is this easy it almost takes the fun out of it.

To be honest, this most recent effort from Toad the Wet Sprocket front man Glen Phillips is not a bad album. Very listenable over all, with a few very good tracks. But it left me a little disappointed. Probably because of his first two albums showed such creativity both musically and lyrically, and Mr. Lemons just doesn’t.

The 11-song album is predominately medium-slow acoustic ballads any of which taken on their own would probably be a fine track on either of Phillips previous solo efforts, abulum or Winter Pays for Summer , but collectively they become a bit indistinguishable and slightly monotonous.

The album is not without a few stand outs, primarily the up-beat “Thank You” and a great cover of Huey Lewis’s “I Want a New Drug.” And Phillips picks up the pace a bit towards the end, with “Didn’t Think You Cared” and “The Next Day.” Any Phillips fan will still want to pick up a copy. Mixed up as part of a Toad / Phillips compilation all the tracks will stand up fine. Unfortunately, collectively the album comes up short.

Luckily that matters a lot less than it used to in an iTunes / iPod world.

P.S. Phillips is out on the road on some solo dates and then with Toad the Wet Sprocket on a number of reunion dates over the summer. I highly recommend checking out either option.

I’ve been reading the reviews about the new Pearl Jam album, Pearl Jam , about how the band is finally back and this is their best album in 10 years, and I just don’t quite get it. Not that I don’t agree it’s a great album, with strong songs from beginning to end (no throwaways!), but I guess I it’s that I don’t agree that the last 3 albums were that bad. Maybe as a die-hard fan, I’m too close to the subject though.

I managed to secure two copies of the album already. I pre-ordered a copy through the band’s fan club which came with an copy of the live show from 1992 (good set list, not great quality sound). Then my brother surprised me by gifting me a copy from iTunes. The only problem is, when you buy from iTunes, the gift can’t be returned or exchanged. Oh well, I guess there is a downside to digital music. And I digress.

So actually if I had to rank Pearl Jam albums I’d put this new one a shade behind Yield , and a shade ahead of Vitology (While “Corduroy” may be the best PJ song ever, this album definitely contains some filler). The problem with ranking albums that were released over the 16 year period is that we individually change quite over time and we remember emotions around our reaction to an album like Ten – 15 year old boy angst, music IS the most important thing in the world emotions in my case — and that affects are reaction to the album. Not to mention, that the band members have hopefully changed over a decade and a half. As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the great things about Pearl Jam has been their ability to keep it fresh from album to album. Sometimes that change has led to a acclaimed masterpiece, like Pearl Jam has been. Sometimes it has led to huge commercial success, like Vs. or Last Kiss. Sometimes it’s lead to underrated classics, like No Code .

Regardless, Pearl Jam has a little for everyone from hard rockers (”World Wide Suicide”, “Severed Hand”) and tight ballads (”Come Back”, “Inside Job”) to something in between (”Army Reserve”). It’s definitely worth the $10 tab at iTunes.

Though if you are going to get one for you brother, check first.

I recently reached out to Jamen Brooks to see how I could get a copy of his solo album Sleephead and I was able to nab one of the few copies he had left (though hopefully he will be getting it added to iTunes soon). I had been thinking about his disc for about four years since I heard a few of his songs with his band Clover on a Guapo Records compilation and I finally got around to nabbing a copy. Clover was breaking up and Jamen was working on a solo album, which was finally released in 2004.

Brooks will never win American Idol. He’s not that kind of singer. He’s more of the Bob Dillon flavor, a tremendous song writer with a whose passion rings through his voice. Brooks is definitely rock, with a heavy dose of accoustic guitar, but he refuses to to follow a formula, and breaks new boundries each arrangement.

When I talked to him in February, he said he was hoping to get back into the studio with Sleephead producer John Hancock later this year. No word yet when we can expect the album, but I can guarentee I won’t wait 2 years to pick the next one up.