Sunday, March 3, 2013

Sweet Serendipity

The most amazing thing happened today, and I have to share!  It kept me in a good mood all day!  Here's my story:

So, a few days ago, I ordered Coheed and Cambria's No World for Tomorrow from Amazon.  I'm missing three of their seven albums, so I thought I'd work on filling in the gaps.  Anyway, it came in today, which was exciting enough.  The mail came right before I left for work, so I just tossed it in my truck to listen to on my way in.  The case and liner notes were for CoCa, but when I opened the case, the CD didn't look right.  It was a bit too colorful, and I couldn't imagine what the letters SA had to do with anything in the Amory Wars, so I thought "Well, crap...it's the wrong disc."  I figured I would pop it in anyway, just to see what was going on...

Well, it most definitely was not Coheed and Cambria.  My first thoughts were "SHIT, I was really looking forward to listening to that, and now I have to wait some moooooooore whine whine," but as I listened I realized that I recognized the voice that was sounding from my speakers.  I knew that I had heard that voice somewhere, so I began to skip through the songs to see if I landed on one I recognized.  No dice.  Now, it was driving me crazy.  How did I know that voice?

Then it hit me!

Remember my Valentine's Day love songs post?  One of my friends responded with a recommendation for one of her favorite songs by one of her favorite bands:  "Walk Through Hell" by Say Anything.  I really liked the song, so I downloaded it immediately, and I've been listening to it some since.  That song had made me curious enough to want to check out more by the band, though I hadn't gotten around to it yet.  Yep, you guessed it!  It was a Say Anything album in my CoCa case!  I listened to it all the way to work and all the way home, and I really, really like it! 

Okay, so this might not sound like much to you, but to me, this was amazing.  I mean, I still want No World for Tomorrow, of course, but I just kept thinking... Of all the cds that could have accidentally made their way into that case, it just happened to be one for a band that I was only introduced to a couple of weeks ago and have been wanting to investigate? 

I haven't even made it all the way through the album yet, and I love it.  I feel like we have a bond now.  It's just meant to be, right?

Here's a live acoustic version of one of my instant faves from the album:

Thursday, February 14, 2013

I'm not gonna write you a love song.....but I will share a few.

Maybe it's just because I've recently posted, and I still have the "write the blaggles" bug, but I thought that I would stop in and celebrate a little Valentine's Day by sharing some most excellent love songs. 


I can't put them in order because I have a lot of love for all of them, so I figured I would just alphabetize them (as I do with everything...). 


1.  "The Fastest Way Back Home" - Frank Turner

Darling, oh my darling, you know that everything that I do
Is to try to make me good enough for you



2.  "Forever" - Breaking Benjamin

This song is unlike any others that BB has ever written.  It's a gem from the first album that I otherwise wasn't really into.  It's a little bit of a dark topic, with this feeling of "well, I can't live without you, so let's just die together," but it's still a lovely song.



3.  "Love Song" - 311

Originally by The Cure, I have a particular fondness for this cover.  Not that I don't like the original, and I do have some Cure floating around my library.  I guess it's just that 311 is more my style. 



4.  "Something About Us" - Daft Punk

It might not be the right time
I might not be the right one
But there's something about us
I've got to say
Yeah, there's something between us anyway



5.  "Unintended" - Muse  (of course there's a Muse song.  There's always a friggin' Muse song)

You could be my unintended
Choice to live my life extended
You could be the one I'll always love

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Kim's Top 10 Albums of 2012

Ok, so I've been working on this off and on since the first of the year, and I've decided that it can't wait any longer. It's been months since I've posted, but who cares about that? This is important. I'm talking about my favorite albums of 2012. Best albums? No. My favesies? Yes. The difference is essential. This list will reek of my own personal bias. I'd go into why, but those of you who read this thing are probably already familiar with my usual hippie rants on music (love what you love, blah blah blah). Also, of course, this list has to be limited to albums that I actually own. If I've never listened to it, I can't very well weigh in, now can I? I put an insane amount of thought and soul-searching into this, so here it is, Kim's Favorite Musical Crap of 2012!!
 
Favorite Live Show:
Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls; 9/24 in Houston, TX - I kept meaning to sit down and type up my experience of that amazing night. Laziness took priority though, and it never happened. I never even uploaded my pics to facebook. I was in the front row with my best friend, and unlike the first time I saw him, this time, I knew every word to every song, except for the new ones, of course. There's something kind of exhilarating about being in some small, sweaty dive filled with two or three hundred people, all screaming lyrics and generally having the time of their lives. Not to mention that after the show, the drummer gave me his setlist, and I got Frank and ALL of the Sleeping Souls to sign it. Which reminds me, I keep meaning to frame that. I didn't get to see even a fraction of the shows that I saw in the epic 2010, but even if I did have a longer list to choose from, that night would have been hella hard to top.
 
Favorite Live DVD:
Frank Turner - Last Minutes and Lost Evenings (Live at Wembley)
Confession time! This category is total bullshit. I mean, not the category itself, but the fact that I'm including it on the list when I only purchased one new live dvd in 2012. Since there's absolutely no competition, it's pretty pointless to map out a favorite, but you know what? I DON'T CARE. I DO WHAT I WANT. (For the full effect, you need to say those lines a la Eric Cartman on the Maury Povich show) I've watched it so many times, and it never fails to fill me with warm, fuzzy feelings of delight. So there it is. Biased much?

Ok, so the main event, my own personal Top Ten albums of 2012!! Featuring super heavy bias towards my favorite acts. :D

#10:  Not Your Kind of People - Garbage
The first nine were pretty easy to pick, but choosing which album to put in slot ten was a struggle. In the end, I went with Garbage's first release in yeeeears. I've heard some fans complain that they don't sound exactly like the band they remember from the 90s. Well, what do you expect? That was nearly twenty years ago. No band is gonna sound exactly the same after two decades. I feel like they've made a natural progression over the years. They still sound like Garbage to me, but they meld well with today's music. Imo, anyway.  Recommended Track:  "Control"


#9:  Oceania - The Smashing Pumpkins
I have loved SP intensely for about fifteen years. I was nervous and excited for this album. Their eighth album was released digitally on their website one song at a time (and free, to boot), and while it was solid, it didn't quite have all the magic of their previous albums. Oceania did not disappoint though. Billy's songwriting skills are as true as they've ever been, and his style has matured and expanded to match the man he's become, rather than trying to harken back to the days of the boy he used to be. He's probably still an asshole, but I think he actually lets the rest of the band record their own talents in the studio now. In the old days, he used to go back and track all the guitar and bass parts himself, rather than use James' and D'Arcy's tracks. So if you're listening to those albums, what you're actually hearing is mostly all Billy instead of the whole band. Sorry, I stopped talking about Oceania. It's good.  Recommended Track:  "Violet Rays"

#8: The Afterman: Ascension - Coheed and Cambria
At some point along the way, CoCa decided to split this album into two, released four months apart.  I've recently bought Descension, and it's awesome so far. But I'm not here to talk about Descension. We're talking about the first segment, Ascension. They continue the tale of The Amory Wars, and this time, they explore some characters who haven't yet held the spotlight. I've always loved CoCa's albums because they're just so...interesting. Seriously, I don't think you can listen to them and be bored. Shifting styles that range from heavy, head-banging riffs to gentle lullabies; malleable melodies that begin quick and unorthodox, but are soon hammered into melodic lines that can almost be considered catchy... You just never quite know what to expect during any given song. Recommended Track: "Key Entity Extraction IV: Evagria the Faithful"

#7: Synthetica - Metric
Synthetica has it all: electronic tints, edgey guitars, dance beats, ethereal swirls, and all with Emily's innocent-sounding voice laced throughout. No one makes an f-bomb sound so sweet. I love this album more and more the more I listen to it (I should use the word more more). It's one of those albums where some songs may not immediately grab you, but then they sneak up on you and say "LOOK AT HOW FRIGGIN' AWESOME I AM." This album is just plain fun. Recommended Track: "Lost Kitten"

#6: Living Things - Linkin Park
Linkin Park is another band with a lot of division within their fanbase. I'm sure you've heard plenty of talk about how the LP of today scarcely resembles the LP of ten years ago, or maybe you think that yourself, and that's totally fine because it's true. I've said time and time again that it's only natural for bands to evolve with time. The sound is different now. As I said earlier with Garbage, it still sounds very Linkin Park to me. The band has been experimenting with a variety of sounds over the past couple of albums though, and personally, I think it's paid off. Living Things doesn't quite have the flare and unity of their previous effort, A Thousand Suns, but it's still a great album (imo, as always) that leaves me eager to hear where their next direction will lead them. Recommended Track: "Castle of Glass"

#5: Walk the Moon - Walk the Moon
This is the only debut album on the whole list. I fell in love with the lead single, "Anna Sun," the very first time I heard it. I typically only buy albums if I've heard a few of the songs on it, or if I have a history with the band. On a whim, I bought this one, despite not having anything to go on other than that one song. I'm so glad I bought it. As you can see, it's one of my favorite albums of the year. Seriously, it's catchy as hell. I can't wait for spring to come again. This is one of those albums that's just perfect for driving with the windows down. I'm looking forward to hearing what's next for WtM. Boys, you have caught my eye (ear? Whatever). Recommended Track: "Iscariot"

#4: Reign of Terror - Sleigh Bells
While there are a few tracks that resemble the majority of their first album, Reign of Terror features a slightly more melodic approach to noise pop. This album is still rich with texture though. It has always amazed me that they can achieve such a complex sound from such simple gestures. Most of the songs on this album consist of one repeated guitar riff or a circular keyboard phrase, yet none of the songs even approach repetitiveness. I think it would be so interesting to see this duo live. Recommended Track: "Never Say Die"

#3: Neck of the Woods - Silversun Pickups
Now we reach the top three! I knew that I had to buy this album after the very first time I ever heard the lead single, "Bloody Mary." I was a little late in listening to it, so the album had already been in stores for a week or two. I loved the singles I had heard from previous albums and had always meant to pick up some SsPu earlier. This album really got the ball rolling for me. It was one of those albums that kinda blew my mind with its sheer awesomeness. As soon as I absorbed it, I ordered their first two albums. Now, the band sits comfortably in my top ten favorite bands, possibly even encroaching on my top five. I know Brian's voice isn't for everyone, but I love it. I've seen them before, too, and he's pretty charismatic on stage. Their sound tends toward a dark color with a sexy edge. Speaking of sexy songs..... Recommended Track: "Here We Are (Chancer)"

#2: An Unwavering Band of Light - Jenny Owen Youngs
This album came out in February, but I didn't even hear of Jenny Owen Youngs until September, when I saw her open for Frank Turner. I really liked her sound and style, so I bought an album straight from her at the merch table. I kinda wish that I'd gotten her to sign it, but I had some other signatures on my mind that night. ;) I didn't really have the means to listen to the album until after I got back from that trip on September 28th, and then this other to-be-named album came out on October 2nd that sort of eclipsed this one, so it actually sat to the side for far too long. Sad. Then one day I remembered its fate, blew the dust off, and gave it the proper attention it deserved, and holy shit! Look what I was missing out on!!! This album is amazing! A. MAZ. ING. I kept it in my truck's cd player for about three weeks straight. I've downloaded a couple of songs from her two previous albums, but I think it's safe to say that I'll be buying them pretty soon. Recommended Track: "Born to Lose"

#1: The 2nd Law - Muse
Oh come on, did you really think that anything else would occupy this spot? I told you this list was hella biased. How could I possibly be utterly obsessed with Muse and not think that T2L was the most awesome album of the year? Okay, so I do know some people who are equally obsessed with Muse that were disappointed in this album. In all fairness, it is quite a departure for them. There were a few songs where my first reaction was "WTF IS THIS," but now, I love every second of it. From the oddity that is "Panic Station" to the super cheesefest of "Big Freeze," I love this album. It's barely another month until I get to see them live again, and I really can't wait to hear some of these new songs for the first time. What I found to be most interesting about the album was that it included two songs written and sung by bassist Chris Wolstenholme. There are mixed feelings about them amongst the Muser community, but personally, I think they're some of the best songs on the album, especially..... Recommended Track: "Save Me"


And there you have it! I bought a lot of albums in 2012, and I really did like them all, but those are my top ten. I recently purchased Gossip's Á Joyful Noise, but I need a little more time to marinate in it. I love it so far, and I think it really did have some potential to break in, but I was just too late in purchasing it. Also, Meiko released her second album in 2012, but I decided to backtrack and buy her debut effort first. It's superb, and if The Bright Side is anything like her eponymous album, I'll absolutely love it.

I'm expecting 2013 to be a pretty good year, too.  As I mentioned earlier, Coheed and Cambria has already released a great album.  Biffy Clyro just released their sixth album, which is on its way to me right now from the UK.  I've been trying to resist listening to anything from it until it's in my hands.  I'm pretty excited about this one.  Also, 2013 will see new releases from The Airborne Toxic Event and my beloved Frank Turner.  Even if nothing else too exciting comes out, I think those four alone will make up for it. 

Anywho, that's all for now.  Here's to a great 2013!!