New Releases 9/22/09

So much to report! I went to an AMAZING concert last night, but I guess I shall begin with my overdue new releases report!!

Sunday saw Pearl Jam’s new album, Backspacer. I like the new single “The Fixer,” though I’m not sure if I would call it one of my favorites. That aside, I still have to say that I find this album to be quite an accomplishment. This is their 9th studio album, which is pretty damn good by itself, considering that many bands only dream of staying active that long, but on top of that, they are one of the few 90s grunge bands that are still evolving and still staying in the spotlight. So even if I’m not going to buy the album, and even if I never really get to love their new sound, I still have to totally hand it to them for beating the odds and continuing to show the world what they’re made of.

There were plenty of other releases this week by some groups I’ve never heard of that I haven’t yet had the chance to investigate yet. After I’ve had the chance to comb through them and find any gems, I’ll let you know, of course.

Remember late 90s one hit wonder, Vertical Horizon? Well, they released a new album as well this week, Burning the Days. Good to see that even though they’re not getting a lot of radio play, and aren’t tearing up the charts, that they’re at least still making music. I like to think that that means that they’re in it for the music and not for the fame. But who knows, maybe they’re keeping their fingers crossed for that next big hit. I’ll keep living in my dream world where no one writes music just for the money. ;) I actually kinda like their new single, “Save Me From Myself,” personally. Give it a listen if you get the chance, and see what you think.

On the metal scene, Five Finger Death Punch released War Is the Answer. As I’ve said before, I think that if you’re writing the music, it deserves to be heard, so I totally respect what these guys do. It’s just not really what I personally listen to. I don’t mind my music getting heavy, but they tend to go a little heavier than I usually listen to, and I don’t really feel the lead singer’s timbre. But that’s just me, and I really don’t think that my opinion matters in the run of things, so please, by all means, see what you think of them for yourself. Their new single is “Hard to See.”

Ah, the big one, and the only one that I’ll be adding to my library this week: Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace. Yes, they’re pretty mainstream, and maybe a little cliché, but dammit, I like it. The only thing I find disappointing is that in three albums, they haven’t really evolved that much. I think that’s an important part of being a band, and I think the new song “Break” sounds like it would blend in well with either of their two previous releases. Then again, I haven’t given the whole album a listen yet (low funds are forcing to wait a few more days before I can grab this one), so I’m sure they can prove me wrong still. Besides, even though I think bands should evolve in some direction or another, I’m not sure if I’m willing to complain about getting more of a good thing. 3DG has everything I enjoy listening to in a rock band, so perhaps I should just keep my mouth shut for a while. Anyway, here’s the new single, “Break.”

Either later tonight or tomorrow, I’ll give you the full details on the awesome concert I went to last night! Seriously, all three bands really impressed and surpassed anything that you can get by simply listening to their albums.

New Releases 9/15/09

Moving on to this week’s releases…

There were actually a lot of new releases this week. Were there a lot that I’ll be adding to my library? No…just one really, but we’ll get to that one. Some older, well-known acts released new albums, and this seems to be a big week for metal fans, too, with four bands in the genre releasing albums.

I said yesterday that this week had me super-stoked. Why? Well, you might have heard me mention a little band called Muse before. They are my all-time favorite band by far. I won’t really go into why that is right now. I’ll save that for a future blog. Anyway, they released their fifth studio album, The Resistance, on September 15th.

I’ve been waiting for this one for a LONG time. I absolutely LOVE their first four albums, and lead singer/guitarist/keyboardist Matt Bellamy said that they really wanted this album to be their best ever. So naturally, I got pretty stoked about this release. Then when they finally released the new single “Uprising,” I was…a little disappointed. It wasn’t love at first listen like I really hoped it would be. But I listened to it a few more times, and it started to grow on me. Then I listened to another song they released, “United States of Eurasia,” and my disappointment deepened. It’s not that their bad songs. Not at all. It’s just…when a band has become the epitome of everything you could want from a band, and you set your expectations sooo high for that next album, it stings a little when it doesn’t quite deliver. I was hoping that maybe they just weren’t releasing the best stuff, ya know? But now that I have the album, and after listening to it a few times, I like it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, and it still sounds like Muse. But it’s hard to admit that I just like this one, after LOVING the last four. I was talking with someone about it tonight, and they really summed it up perfectly. It’s like Muse is now TRYING to sound like Muse. Does that make sense? It made sense to me, and I agreed wholeheartedly.

Again, it’s not a bad album. I like it. Was it everything I hoped it would be? No. But here are a few highlights for you, if you’re interested. The Exogenesis symphony is by far the best sound on the album. Matt said he’d been writing this one for years, and it really shows that a lot of work went into it. So far, the third part, Redemption, is my favorite, but I really love the whole thing (it’s only three parts). “Uprising” is a good tune too, though I could just be saying that because it’s had the chance to really grow on me. Both “Resistance” and “Undisclosed Desires” are off to a good start. I liked them from the get-go, and I’m sure they’ll grow further, as I listen to the album more. So far, I’m just lukewarm on the rest of The Resistance, though I think I can say right now that I’m not too sure if “Guiding Light” is ever going to truly rub me the right way. Here's the brand spanking new video for "Uprising," so see what you think for yourself. Oh, and for the record, Matt Bellamy is definitely the sexiest man alive. ;)

Before I run off for today, I would like to say that I made a couple of discoveries this week. Grinspoon and The Big Pink were other bands to have releases this week, and I had never heard of either of them. I kinda liked what I listened to though, so I think I might check them out a little more thoroughly. In case you're interested, check out "Comeback" by Grinspoon and "Dominos" by The Big Pink.

New Releases 9/8/09

Yeah, so it’s been a while. So sue me. Anyways, let me catch you up on some new releases. Mind you, these are only the ones that registered on my radar, and not all albums that were released.

Let’s start with last week’s releases. Oh, and Tuesday is the main day of the week that releases are made, but a few albums get released throughout the week. I generally round to the nearest Tuesday for my releases.

Last week saw Saosin’s In Search of Solid Ground released. I have mixed thoughts on this group. I totally admit to listening to pop punk every now and then, but there does reach a point where some of them start sounding interchangeable. I like a few songs by Saosin okay, but the band doesn’t grab me as having something unique that distinguishes them from everyone else in this genre. Oh, and I opted for the term “pop punk” as opposed to “emo.” I’ll explain that one later, though… Anyway, the new single, “On My Own” really isn’t that bad. While listening to it though, I really found myself thinking that you could remove Cove Reber from the front, slap Hayley Williams on there and call it a Paramore song. Like I said, this band doesn’t really grab me as all that unique.

While maneuvering through that genre, let’s go ahead and talk about the new Boys Like Girls release, Love Drunk. I’ll pick Saosin over these guys anyday. Boys Like Girls is way more poppy, with a sound that reminds me of a male Kelly Clarkson. I don’t think it’s altogether bad, just not what I traditionally listen to, unless I’m really in the mood.

Phish released their fourteenth album last week, Joy. I’ll be honest, I haven’t listened to a thing off of this album, and I might not ever get around to it. I’m not really a jam-rock girl, but I used to be okay on Phish, but I’ve recently developed an issue with listening to them that has nothing to do with their music.

The release I was most excited about last week was Welcome to the Masquerade by Thousand Foot Krutch. I’ve only recently started listening to this band, but so far, I’m liking what I’m hearing. The first single from this album, “Bring Me to Life,” is a pretty decent song (and no, nothing to do with the Evanescence song by the same name). I’m not sure if this is an album I’ll add to my library, but of all the releases for 9/8/09, it’s the only one I really have any interest in getting. We’ll see.

Yesterday was a very exciting day for me musically, but I don’t quite have the time to get into that right now. I may post a second blog later tonight, or I may hold off until tomorrow.

New Releases 8/31/09

Ok, so I missed a post, so sue me. Anyways, here’s the new release blog, one day late!

I’ve got another one pre-ordered for this week: Chevelle’s Sci-Fi Crimes. I really like Chevelle, and I’m going to see them soon, so I want to be up-to-date on their library. So far, I’ve only heard the new song “Jars,” but I really like it, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else is on the album. As usual though, it takes a little while for me to get through an album enough times to really form an opinion (last week’s new release from Jet is still in my CD player), so it’ll be a little bit before I get around to posting my opinion on the new album. Here’s the new song so you can check it out.





In other new releases, there was only one that caught my eye, but I don’t think I’ll be getting. That release would be Artwork by The Used. I like them okay, and their new single “Blood On My Hands” ain’t bad, but there are so many other albums that are way up on my priority list. I just don’t think I’ll get getting this one, not any time in the near future, at least.

So it was a short blog today, but today’s releases didn’t give me that much to talk about. More to come tomorrow!