Just up on Marcy Playground’s official website is the ability to pre-order their newest album “Leaving Wonderland… In A Fit of Rage.” For $12.99 you’ll get the 12 track album which includes a free download of “MP3,” their last studio effort, for free. The CD will be shipped “on or near” the album’s June 7th release date.
Click here to pre-order your copy.
Overview:
The ever popular Dave Matthews Band is back in a big way with “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King.” It’s a much welcomed return from a creative group of musicians who make some pretty impressive music. This album is completely dedicated to the memory of the band’s late saxophonist LeRoi Moore, and it seems as the death of their friend motivated the band to create some really good songs. Continue reading
Overview:
A sharp effort from the Chicago based band Rise Against proves both intelligent and hard-nosed, making for a good album with a lot to say from a band that isn’t afraid to say it.
Review:
Rise Against is a band out of the Windy City that provides a crisp hard rock/punk sound with relevant lyrics, powerful vocals, tight and precise guitar work, and intense drumming. Their 5th studio album, “Appeal to Reason,” is a motivated effort and it’s evident that this band isn’t like a lot of others in the Punk-Rock Genre these days. Rise Against actually has something to say.
For those of you unfamiliar with the music of Jeff Mangum, he was the musical force behind indie music heroes Neutral Milk Hotel in the 90’s. At the risk of overselling his brilliance, he is literally the closest thing I have ever had to a personal messiah.
After achieving cult icon status after the release of his band’s 1998 masterpiece “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea,” Mangum disappeared and hasn’t recorded a new studio album since. He did however return last fall, performing his song “Engine” on a tour dubbed “The Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour.” I was lucky enough to witness one of these performances and I can say the experience was more orgasmic than every orgasm I have ever had put together. Continue reading
Overview:
For those of you that aren’t “down” with the “hippity-hop” and the “MySpace Dot Coms” the kids are all raving about, Common is a pretty established MC from Chicago, well-known for his politically-conscious raps and jazz-inspired beats. He’s iconic in hip-hop for his smooth delivery of gritty lyrics and is also established in the art of freestyle rapping. He’s one of those down-to-Earth emcees of the same run as Talib Kweli, Mos Def and early Kanye West, and has brought us strong songs with a street flair in the past like “The Corner” and “Testify.” Continue reading
Two days ago, I wrote a brief piece leaving a link where readers could stream the new Wilco album, “Wilco (The Album)” for free on the bands website and promised a review in the coming days. Sadly, a little more than 24 hours after I made the post, the stream was deleted. Why, I do not know, but what I do know is that it is no longer there.
If anything changes and the album reappears, I will repost the information. But I do know there were at least three people who were interested in the stream, so to you and anyone else who clicked on the link expecting free Wilco goodness, only to find nothing of value at all, I am sorry.
Pretentious music snobs and lack wits desperately attempting to gain music credibility (the author raises his hand) can rejoice, as it has been announced that Radiohead, the most important band in the aforementioned demographics, has begun work on a new album.
According to NME, the band headed into the studio last week to begin recording the follow-up to 2007’s Grammy winning “In Rainbows.” The album is being produced by Nigel Godrich, who has helmed the group’s previous five albums.
A few weeks ago, we ran a review of live show by Alt-rockers Wilco. For those of you craving new studio material prior to the June 30th release of their seventh studio album, simply titled “Wilco (The Album),” you can stream the new material for free on the band’s official site. I will attempt to give a few listens and post an official review sometime by the end of the week. 
Overview:
Mitch Hedberg, a cult icon in the world of stand-up comedy, was one of the truly great and original voices of his time. His innovative and hilarious style essentially made him peerless; making his death of a drug overdose on March 29, 2005 all the sadder. Prior to his death he was performing new material that he eventually hoped to turn into a third full-length album. Clips from various gigs at The Improv in Ontario, California, recorded in January of 05, were spliced together and the album “Do You Believe In Gosh?” was born. Though not a completed work, the album at least gives a respectable farewell to a man who was more than deserving of the title of comedic genius.
Review:
It should be stated up front that much of the material on this album is rough. Had he not been killed this would have been a very disappointing development, but since tragedy did strike, it actually proves to be quite endearing to hear him on stage doing what he does best with great enthusiasm so close to the time of his death. He even has fun with his unfinished material. After a joke basically deteriorates into nothing he says “I gotta work on that, but trust me, it’s so fucking funny. Go into my head and come back out and tell me I’m wrong.”
Despite the unpolished feel of the show, there are moments of sheer brilliance. Whether it’s his rapid-fire one-liners (highlights include, “I can read minds, but it’s pointless because I’m illiterate,” and “I walked by a record store and the sign out front said they specialized in hard to find records and tapes; nothing was alphabetized!”) or more drawn out material (the best joke of the disc is a story about Lola, a girl without arms who doesn’t know the meaning of can’t) there are several moments on “Gosh” that are as funny as funny gets.
Also strong as ever is Hedberg’s impeccable delivery. If 99% of the world’s population uttered the phrase “I would imagine the inside of a bottle of cleaning fluid is fucking clean,” it wouldn’t even sound like a joke. Yet when those words are uttered by Mitch Hedberg, they are hilarious.
Final Words:
When someone dies of “multiple drug toxicity,” it creates an image of them lying sprawled out in a dark room, completely sheltered from the world waiting for death. It was great to hear that two months before his death, this was not an accurate image of Hedberg. It’s fantastic to hear the enthusiasm he has for performing shine through even as he was about to meet his demise. He even sort of cornily, but endearingly, states at one point on this album, “I try not to smile on stage but it’s fun. Performing’s fun.”
Though he wasn’t exactly a household name (because as he put it, “most of my fans live in apartments”) there is a real timeless quality to Mitch Hedberg that should secure him a devoted following for years to come. I will state, however, if you are new to his material, “Do You Believe In Gosh?” is not the album to start with. Rather, you should first seek out his previous, more well-defined albums “Strategic Grill Locations” and “Mitch All Together.” But if you are an established fan, this album is a very worthy companion to his past work. The only disappointment is that he didn’t survive long enough to finish it.
Pros
Cons
Score: 8/10
Material: 8.0/10 (Would have definitely been stronger had he had time to smooth over the rough patches, but still funny.)
Delivery: 9.0/10 (Possessed the ability to make one laugh at almost nothing.)
Originality: 9.0/10 (Hard to pinpoint anyone like him.)
His Death: 0/10 (I can think of no living comic funnier than him and it’s a shame he’s not still around.)
Overview:
Every so often, you hear about a band and they absolutely sweep you off your feet upon hearing the first note of the first song, and The Arcade Fire has done just that to me with their sophomore album, Neon Bible. It’s a complex feast of musical prowess, something so fresh and so new that upon listening to it I almost achieved my sexual peak.
Review:
The album was released in 2007, but I didn’t discover it until the Summer of 2008. The band had been talked up on some internet message boards, and I thought that trying something new would benefit my musical soul, and seeing as how I can barely listen to anything extremely commercialized, I checked it out. Plus, I trust EVERYTHING I read online in reviews, since most independent internet reviewers are not only sexy, but CORRECT as well. (WINK)
The first note of the first song on the album, ‘Black Mirror’, wowed me from the start. It was more musically developed, and less angsty than I’d expected, and then I discovered why.
The band is Canadian. (Songwriter Win Butler was actually born in the U.S., but I won’t hold that against him.)
When in doubt, I ALWAYS assume Canadians can do everything better, and this is another example where I’m proven correct. As the album develops, it evolves, each song leading into the next, sounds blending together to form a masterpiece of modern music.
Most of the album was recorded in an old church, and it adds the the aura of the music. The lyrics are poignant and proficient, Butler really has a gift. His songs are catchy, but they aren’t obsessed with themselves, and he doesn’t rely on gimmicks in a fancy recording studio to progress his message.
The band cites the album as being rooted with themes of Americana, and influences are listed as musical legends with names like Springsteen, Dylan, and Presley (not Lisa Marie), you know the influences are bound to be positive.
The music is somewhat folksy, but each song is almost like a small little story, without hitting you in the face with overt symbolism and tacky lyrics.
The band implements the use of numerous instruments, including pipe organ, an accordion, and a mandolin, and each instrument is appropriate and used respectfully. They add a layer to the songs that the band felt was needed, and I agree.
The album rose to #2 on the ever-popular Billboard charts, something both surprising and well-deserved. This is not a mainstream band, and most of the songs on here do not sound radio friendly. They’re listener friendly. The band is an independent band, and debuting so high on the charts only solidifies that there are people out there who have taste in music AND are willing to try something a little different in order to spread their wings. The Arcade Fire’s “Neon Bible” is a great place to start.
Final Words:
The album is amazing and poignant, smart without being snarky. It provides the listener with a nice soothing album that is fantastic for not only a road trip, but also for a relaxing evening. It’s not invasive or crude, and it’s musically diverse. Not much more these Canadians could have done.
Score: 9/10 (Fantastic)
Lyrics: 9/10
Themes: 9/10
Originality: 9/10
Canadian-ness: 10/10
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