Artist: Grand Magus
Album: Triumph and Power
Source: http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/grand-magus-exclusive-triumph-and-power-in-full/
Pre-listening Notes: I honestly don't know much about this band. They are from Sweden, they are metal, and I think I vaguely remember reading a conversation on Facebook between two of the guys I trust most about metal. So, when I saw this pop up, I figured why not give this band a whirl. So, here goes.
Initial Reaction: Starts off with some stormy weather sounds (nice!), then some clean guitar and some low, epic singing, before it starts chugging a minute and a half in. The music is heavy, but not too heavy, and the vocals are clean. The vocals aren't quite in the power metal realm, but they are sung and strong. I dig this, so far.
Random Thoughts: This has some quality riffing. The vocals are still coming off almost hard rock based, not too metallish. I am pretty sure lyrically, thought it's got that metal love of fantasy. I heard a line about dragons. Somewhere about the middle of the second song, Steel versus Steel it all really just hit me that I really like this! With each song, I find myself digging the vocals more and more. That was the first thing that I wasn't completely sure on, but it really does fit the music more than I thought. I expected a more anthematic (is that even a word?), but the slightly subdued vocals seem to just match up right. The title track is pretty epic and my favorite track so far. The opening guitars of Dominator are pretty ripping. The album continues on in pretty much the same fashion on the second half.
Final Reaction: When the end of the album got there, I was confused and didn't want it to end. This was really good. I will definitely be going back and checking into this album again, as well as their earlier albums, since Spotify has the other ones. If I, in fact, remembered that Facebook conversation correctly, the two metal opinions I value most have done it again.
Final Grade: 8.0/10
Friday, January 31, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Day 29: The Gaslight Anthem - B-Sides
Artist: The Gaslight Anthem
Album: B-Sides
Source: Spotify
Pre-listening Notes: The Gaslight Anthem is one of my favorite bands going right now. This is a collection of B-sides and outtakes from singles that were released between The '59 Sound and American Slang. If you aren't familiar, they are classic rock worshiping pop-punk dudes. If you are, then you already know and/or have already heard most of these songs.
Initial Reaction: It opens with She Loves You (not The Beatles song, Dad). A slower paced song, with epic sing-a-longs. It's a usual TGA ballad, this could easily have been on a record.
Random Thoughts: Acoustic version of The '59 Sound. It's not as good as the electric, original. But, it gets the job done. The next two songs are covers. A live version of the Pearl Jam song, State of Love and Trust followed by The Rolling Stones song Tumbling Dice from the Record Store Day single they did a few years back. The State of Love and Trust cover sort of does the original justice, but I just don't think has the same passion that Pearl Jam gives it. They fare better on the Stones cover. It could be the studio setting, instead of live. The Queen of Lower Chelsea is one of my favorite TGA songs. I like the different sound to the acoustic version. Again, generally acoustic versions will never replace the electric versions of songs I love, but it's nice to have different versions to listen to occasionally. Another cover, this one of a Fake Problems song. I am not familiar with the original, so I'm just going to say this version is better. Acoustic version of one of my favorites off of The '59 Sound, Great Expectations, is a much better song for this format. Another cover of a band I have never heard previously, so see my comment on the Fake Problems song. This song is actually really good (I raised my final grade by a half point for this song). Boxer is a better acoustic song than American Slang. And it ends with a final cover which is great.
Final Reaction: This is a great collection of songs, mostly the covers. My only real complaint would be that the acoustic versions don't quite live up to the zing of the originals. They mostly seem like showcases of Brian Fallon's voice. But, any fan would be perfectly happy with these songs alongside the originals.
Final Grade: 8.5/10
Album: B-Sides
Source: Spotify
Pre-listening Notes: The Gaslight Anthem is one of my favorite bands going right now. This is a collection of B-sides and outtakes from singles that were released between The '59 Sound and American Slang. If you aren't familiar, they are classic rock worshiping pop-punk dudes. If you are, then you already know and/or have already heard most of these songs.
Initial Reaction: It opens with She Loves You (not The Beatles song, Dad). A slower paced song, with epic sing-a-longs. It's a usual TGA ballad, this could easily have been on a record.
Random Thoughts: Acoustic version of The '59 Sound. It's not as good as the electric, original. But, it gets the job done. The next two songs are covers. A live version of the Pearl Jam song, State of Love and Trust followed by The Rolling Stones song Tumbling Dice from the Record Store Day single they did a few years back. The State of Love and Trust cover sort of does the original justice, but I just don't think has the same passion that Pearl Jam gives it. They fare better on the Stones cover. It could be the studio setting, instead of live. The Queen of Lower Chelsea is one of my favorite TGA songs. I like the different sound to the acoustic version. Again, generally acoustic versions will never replace the electric versions of songs I love, but it's nice to have different versions to listen to occasionally. Another cover, this one of a Fake Problems song. I am not familiar with the original, so I'm just going to say this version is better. Acoustic version of one of my favorites off of The '59 Sound, Great Expectations, is a much better song for this format. Another cover of a band I have never heard previously, so see my comment on the Fake Problems song. This song is actually really good (I raised my final grade by a half point for this song). Boxer is a better acoustic song than American Slang. And it ends with a final cover which is great.
Final Reaction: This is a great collection of songs, mostly the covers. My only real complaint would be that the acoustic versions don't quite live up to the zing of the originals. They mostly seem like showcases of Brian Fallon's voice. But, any fan would be perfectly happy with these songs alongside the originals.
Final Grade: 8.5/10
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Day 28: Kid Ink - My Own Lane
Artist: Kid Ink
Album: My Own Lane
Source: Spotify
Pre-listening Notes: Hip Hop! I know nothing about Kid Ink, outside of Pusha T is on this album. So yeah, here goes!
Initial Reaction: Piano and poppy intro. Okay, poppy whole first song. The raps aren't bad, but the chorus sounds like mainstream radio pop. What did I get myself into? What did Pusha get himself into? If this first song is any indication, I'm going to hate this.
Random Thoughts: Okay, the second song is a lot different. It's better, but still not something I'm huge on and lyrically it's not doing much for me. Ugh, Chris Brown. Three songs in and nothing has stood out. I'm starting to think that Pusha did this record to add some street cred to this guy. Ugh, Chris Brown again. I don't really know most of these guests. The Pusha song starts off and the beat already is different than the rest of the album. King Push brings it, but the yeah all this listening for one verse? Alright, this dude is kind of lame. Nothing really hits me later on, either.
Final Reaction: Alright, this did nothing for me. Pusha's verse was cool and all, but this guy is lame. It's too poppy for me.
Final Grade: 2.0/10
Album: My Own Lane
Source: Spotify
Pre-listening Notes: Hip Hop! I know nothing about Kid Ink, outside of Pusha T is on this album. So yeah, here goes!
Initial Reaction: Piano and poppy intro. Okay, poppy whole first song. The raps aren't bad, but the chorus sounds like mainstream radio pop. What did I get myself into? What did Pusha get himself into? If this first song is any indication, I'm going to hate this.
Random Thoughts: Okay, the second song is a lot different. It's better, but still not something I'm huge on and lyrically it's not doing much for me. Ugh, Chris Brown. Three songs in and nothing has stood out. I'm starting to think that Pusha did this record to add some street cred to this guy. Ugh, Chris Brown again. I don't really know most of these guests. The Pusha song starts off and the beat already is different than the rest of the album. King Push brings it, but the yeah all this listening for one verse? Alright, this dude is kind of lame. Nothing really hits me later on, either.
Final Reaction: Alright, this did nothing for me. Pusha's verse was cool and all, but this guy is lame. It's too poppy for me.
Final Grade: 2.0/10
Monday, January 27, 2014
Day 27: Xiu Xiu - Angel Guts: Red Classroom
Artist: Xiu Xiu
Album: Angel Guts: Red Classroom
Source: http://pitchfork.com/advance/328-angel-guts-red-classroom/
Pre-listening Notes: All kinds of labels for this band, but going in I assumed it was a French electro-pop band. They (he) are from San Jose, California and I don't think they (he) are pop. I am not sure what to expect, it appears this album only has drums, a drum machine, and synthesizers. Analog synthesizers, which I guess is a distinction I should make, or something. So, here goes.
Initial Reaction: First reaction is my cat is interested in the sounds coming out of the speaker, which is not normally like her. It's just white noise with a quick synth hit for like 30 seconds. That was the entire three and a half minute song, basically white noise and 30 seconds of other noise. I have a feeling I'm not going to be into this.
Random Thoughts: Oh hey, drums. I can get behind a beat. And vocals, which I guess I wasn't expecting. I can't tell if the vocals remind me of David Bowie or the guy who was the Phantom of the Opera on the recording. No wait, it reminds me of Jason Segel doing the Dracula musical in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. There are lots of beeps and boops to this, and the vocals just sound kind of dramatic. This is weird, but I have to at least say it's interesting. Things kind of dulled down a bunch, but the second last song is heavy and probably the only one I'd really be interested in hearing again.
Final Reaction: Somewhat interesting, but not my thing.
Final Grade: 4.0/10
Album: Angel Guts: Red Classroom
Source: http://pitchfork.com/advance/328-angel-guts-red-classroom/
Pre-listening Notes: All kinds of labels for this band, but going in I assumed it was a French electro-pop band. They (he) are from San Jose, California and I don't think they (he) are pop. I am not sure what to expect, it appears this album only has drums, a drum machine, and synthesizers. Analog synthesizers, which I guess is a distinction I should make, or something. So, here goes.
Initial Reaction: First reaction is my cat is interested in the sounds coming out of the speaker, which is not normally like her. It's just white noise with a quick synth hit for like 30 seconds. That was the entire three and a half minute song, basically white noise and 30 seconds of other noise. I have a feeling I'm not going to be into this.
Random Thoughts: Oh hey, drums. I can get behind a beat. And vocals, which I guess I wasn't expecting. I can't tell if the vocals remind me of David Bowie or the guy who was the Phantom of the Opera on the recording. No wait, it reminds me of Jason Segel doing the Dracula musical in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. There are lots of beeps and boops to this, and the vocals just sound kind of dramatic. This is weird, but I have to at least say it's interesting. Things kind of dulled down a bunch, but the second last song is heavy and probably the only one I'd really be interested in hearing again.
Final Reaction: Somewhat interesting, but not my thing.
Final Grade: 4.0/10
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Day 26: Sleepy Sun - Maui Tears
Artist: Sleepy Sun
Album: Maui Tears
Source: http://www.spin.com/articles/sleepy-sun-maui-tears-album-stream/?utm_source=spintwitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spintwitter
Pre-listening Notes: The internet tells me they are a psychedelic rock band that have put out three albums prior to this one. The bio at the link also uses the phrases space-rock and stoner-waltz so my interests are piqued. Here goes!
Initial Reaction: This has a cool feel to it. These guys are from a city just south of San Francisco, which I guess helps give them psychedelic cred. I get the genre tags, all of the above sound descriptions apply. I could totally see sitting on a beach with refreshments in hand with these songs ringing through the air.
Random Thoughts: This kind of reminds me of how I felt about the first Secret Machines album when I heard it for the first time. It kind of came out of nowhere, for me at least, and they have a similar vibe musically. The music is very mellow and spacey, with his vocals kind of reminding me of someone that I can't quite put my finger on. The third song alternates really nicely between quieter, mellower parts into more fuzzed out rock parts. I like this, a lot. Each of the songs are pretty great so far, but the song Thielbar has been the one I've liked the most. The song slowdown was a little too mellow for me, but the next song, Galaxy Punk picked it right back up. The last song is a 10 minute gem.
Final Reaction: This was another one of those surprise me out of left field type of albums. So far, there have been a few of these already and it's only the first month. If this keeps up, I may have to declare this whole project to be a success, although I'd have a hard time saying it wasn't even only one month into the year. This was a really good record, that I will revisit again, that is one of those things that I am not normally going to seek out, but once I hear stuff like this, it tends to stick with me. Cool stuff!
Final Grade: 8.0/10
Album: Maui Tears
Source: http://www.spin.com/articles/sleepy-sun-maui-tears-album-stream/?utm_source=spintwitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spintwitter
Pre-listening Notes: The internet tells me they are a psychedelic rock band that have put out three albums prior to this one. The bio at the link also uses the phrases space-rock and stoner-waltz so my interests are piqued. Here goes!
Initial Reaction: This has a cool feel to it. These guys are from a city just south of San Francisco, which I guess helps give them psychedelic cred. I get the genre tags, all of the above sound descriptions apply. I could totally see sitting on a beach with refreshments in hand with these songs ringing through the air.
Random Thoughts: This kind of reminds me of how I felt about the first Secret Machines album when I heard it for the first time. It kind of came out of nowhere, for me at least, and they have a similar vibe musically. The music is very mellow and spacey, with his vocals kind of reminding me of someone that I can't quite put my finger on. The third song alternates really nicely between quieter, mellower parts into more fuzzed out rock parts. I like this, a lot. Each of the songs are pretty great so far, but the song Thielbar has been the one I've liked the most. The song slowdown was a little too mellow for me, but the next song, Galaxy Punk picked it right back up. The last song is a 10 minute gem.
Final Reaction: This was another one of those surprise me out of left field type of albums. So far, there have been a few of these already and it's only the first month. If this keeps up, I may have to declare this whole project to be a success, although I'd have a hard time saying it wasn't even only one month into the year. This was a really good record, that I will revisit again, that is one of those things that I am not normally going to seek out, but once I hear stuff like this, it tends to stick with me. Cool stuff!
Final Grade: 8.0/10
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Day 25: Warpaint - Warpaint
Artist: Warpaint
Album: Warpaint
Source: Spotify
Pre-listening Notes: They are labeled as an indie rock band, although I also see psychedelic, dream, and art pop/rock mixed in at times. The band is made up of all women. There were comparisons made in the Wikipedia page for this record to Radiohead's Kid A, which I love, so there is that.
Initial Reaction: The album starts off with an intro, titled intro. Bass and drums, along with what I assume is the drummer apologizing and starting over, and I already see the "dream pop" tag that I saw in my pre-listening internet research.
Random Thoughts: Okay, first thing I notice is that I like the vocals. It's not aggressive, but at the same time it's not super mellow. It has me paying closer attention than I thought I would based on the descriptions. The draw for me is the strength of the singer's voice. Musically it's exactly as I've read, indie rock or dream pop or any other labeled genre you can think to put on it. As the songs go on, I'm not picking specific things about each song that I like, but more so enjoying the flow of the album from song to song. A lot of the feel for this reminds me of the mid to late 90's Portishead, and Portishead clone, sound to it.
Final Reaction: The album felt more like one large piece of music to me, but that isn't a bad thing. It had the feel of something that I could see myself listening to as I worked on something that required more attention than what I was listening to. It was a pretty great release for a band I had never heard of prior to listening to this. This is exactly the type of album I expected to hear when I went in search of things to listen to on the off days when I wasn't listening to a band I was already familiar with. Will listen again.
Final Grade: 8.0/10
Album: Warpaint
Source: Spotify
Pre-listening Notes: They are labeled as an indie rock band, although I also see psychedelic, dream, and art pop/rock mixed in at times. The band is made up of all women. There were comparisons made in the Wikipedia page for this record to Radiohead's Kid A, which I love, so there is that.
Initial Reaction: The album starts off with an intro, titled intro. Bass and drums, along with what I assume is the drummer apologizing and starting over, and I already see the "dream pop" tag that I saw in my pre-listening internet research.
Random Thoughts: Okay, first thing I notice is that I like the vocals. It's not aggressive, but at the same time it's not super mellow. It has me paying closer attention than I thought I would based on the descriptions. The draw for me is the strength of the singer's voice. Musically it's exactly as I've read, indie rock or dream pop or any other labeled genre you can think to put on it. As the songs go on, I'm not picking specific things about each song that I like, but more so enjoying the flow of the album from song to song. A lot of the feel for this reminds me of the mid to late 90's Portishead, and Portishead clone, sound to it.
Final Reaction: The album felt more like one large piece of music to me, but that isn't a bad thing. It had the feel of something that I could see myself listening to as I worked on something that required more attention than what I was listening to. It was a pretty great release for a band I had never heard of prior to listening to this. This is exactly the type of album I expected to hear when I went in search of things to listen to on the off days when I wasn't listening to a band I was already familiar with. Will listen again.
Final Grade: 8.0/10
Day 24: Seahaven - Silhouette
Artist: Seahaven
Album: Silhouette
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLypI9myDIm7fcCBrw-2p8nEzTwmCHRImq&v=uFEouT53IMI
Pre-listening Notes: I've been seeing their name around for a little while now, but have never checked them out. I've seen them described as post-hardcore, post-punk, indie rock, and emo. So it could really sound like anything. I think I saw they once toured with Touche Amore, who I am not a fan of, so I was a little hesitant to go in. But, things have slowed down in terms of new stuff coming out, so I'll give it a whirl. This is a three song EP.
Initial Reaction: It starts out with very quiet, mellow guitars and a drumbeat with vocals. I could see this being played on the radio. It's got a "modern rock" vibe going on. I also picture seeing their name playing along with all the hip, new festival bands. Not that that is a horrible thing, there is always a handful of bands on everyone one of those band lists that I say I'd enjoy seeing, just not in that type of a setting. Or maybe his vocals remind me of Coldplay, I don't know, I'm terrible at comparisons.
Random Thoughts: So this is going to be on the mellower side. This song is a little more poppy than the first one. I like it better than the first song. The last song is a little more rocking. It's still nothing to write home about, but I think I like it the most of the three.
Final Reaction: This isn't the worst thing I've ever heard. On the flipside, this isn't something I'd buy a physical copy of, either. I'd rather listen to this than Touche Amore, that's for sure. There is nothing particularly offensive to my tastes going on here, but there is nothing to get me to want to keep listening either. I made it through the three songs, but a full length might have been a little harder.
Final Grade: 5.5/10
Album: Silhouette
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLypI9myDIm7fcCBrw-2p8nEzTwmCHRImq&v=uFEouT53IMI
Pre-listening Notes: I've been seeing their name around for a little while now, but have never checked them out. I've seen them described as post-hardcore, post-punk, indie rock, and emo. So it could really sound like anything. I think I saw they once toured with Touche Amore, who I am not a fan of, so I was a little hesitant to go in. But, things have slowed down in terms of new stuff coming out, so I'll give it a whirl. This is a three song EP.
Initial Reaction: It starts out with very quiet, mellow guitars and a drumbeat with vocals. I could see this being played on the radio. It's got a "modern rock" vibe going on. I also picture seeing their name playing along with all the hip, new festival bands. Not that that is a horrible thing, there is always a handful of bands on everyone one of those band lists that I say I'd enjoy seeing, just not in that type of a setting. Or maybe his vocals remind me of Coldplay, I don't know, I'm terrible at comparisons.
Random Thoughts: So this is going to be on the mellower side. This song is a little more poppy than the first one. I like it better than the first song. The last song is a little more rocking. It's still nothing to write home about, but I think I like it the most of the three.
Final Reaction: This isn't the worst thing I've ever heard. On the flipside, this isn't something I'd buy a physical copy of, either. I'd rather listen to this than Touche Amore, that's for sure. There is nothing particularly offensive to my tastes going on here, but there is nothing to get me to want to keep listening either. I made it through the three songs, but a full length might have been a little harder.
Final Grade: 5.5/10
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