Thrice - Beggars (2009)

Thrice is a band that is ever changing; always evolving into something almost completely different with each new release. The sound of this album is an organic and very melodic one. Sure Thrice has changed their overall sound again but not to the extent to where they're unrecognizable. It is still Thrice.

With what seemed like a hurried release with their new album, they promised a much faster, harder album compared to their previous 4 disc epic, the Alchemy Index, which for the most part was quite the somber affair. Alas, Beggars might be just as mellow if not even more. Nonetheless, its a solid effort.

I really enjoyed this album. Yet, something is preventing me from declaring my love for it. I can't quite pinpoint what it is. The songs are all very catchy, nicely written, and you have your songs to rock out to, or to fall asleep with. Yet, perhaps the issue is that they're all too basic. Beggars plays like a solid rock album. Which is fine naturally, there is nothing wrong with radio friendly music, per say, but with Thrice I think one is expecting much more. Especially the fans who have been their since the beginning and love the older stuff, know the band is capable of much more. The band has taken a great step away from the intensity and craftsmanship with the guitar work that they were known for on my personal favorite, The Illusion of Safety, but at least with albums after that one, and before this one, they experimented and made complex, really interesting songs with a ton of substance. Beggars just leaves me feeling indifferent. There are some great tracks however, in particular In Exile and Circles; two slower tracks that are beautifully done and are worth the purchase of the album alone in my opinion.
6/10

Orange Chicken Rocks!

I was at school today, starving, aggravated, and wanting to be anywhere but there. So what did I do? I fucking left and drove straight to the nearest Panda Express. I ordered chow mein, Beijing beef, and orange chicken. I gobbled that shit up. It was devoured in literally 5 minutes. It was exquisite. After every bite, I was left with such a satisfied, magnificent feeling, I could die feeling I accomplished everything that one can do in his or her life. My meal on this day was peerless. I wanted to jump up and exclaim my delight, for the chef clearly deserved every accolade I could offer for his meritorious work. From the spicyness of the beef and red peppers, to the sweet and tangy taste of the extremely low grade quality chicken, it was almost too much to handle. But I handled it all right, that I did. For about 45 minutes at least.

Baroness - Blue Record (2009)

BARONESS formed in the Summer 2003 in Savannah, GA. Their 2007 album entitled "Red Album" was named Album of the Year by Revolver magazine. With their 2009, second full length album, "Blue Record", they may have done the unlikely actually managing to top the "Red Album". This record is so fucking good. I must offer this warning however; I may be slightly partial to the "Blue Record" considering I heard it before I listened to their first release, thus my reasoning for me to be so bold and proclaim it is even better. (I tend to do a lot of things backwards).

The album opens with a pretty cool intro titled Bullhead's Psalm which flows nicely into an excellent, bad ass song to get the party started. "The Sweetest Curse" is said track and starts with this sludgy, hardcore riffage to eventually makes it way into an extremely catchy and melodic solo half way through the song ending with extremely catchy vocals that I cant help but sing along with every time. The next song is another standout for me in "Jake Leg". The song is filled with their signature guitar sound with sludgy break downs combined with super catchy southern rock solos.

The band experiments on this album trying out different vocal stylings as this is apparent in the next track called "Steel That Sleeps The Eye". This acoustic ballad shows a softer side to the band to eventually flow seamlessly into the next song "Swollen and Halo"; which is of course another stand out song. (Who am I kidding, every song is a stand out song.)

One cannot forget to mention the superb artwork that this album contains (as well as the previous record). Singer John Baizley creates the artwork for all Baroness albums, and has done artwork for other bands and labels such as Darkest Hour, The Red Chord, Vitamin X, Sounds of the Underground tour, Kylesa, Daughters, Torche, Pig Destroyer, and the Magrudergrind/Shitstorm split grindcore CD on Robotic Empire.

So in conclusion, I fucking loved this Cd and since obtaining it, I have listened to it daily. I highly recommend anyone to at least give it a shot if you like rock n roll, because this is rock n roll at it's finest.
10/10

Rockin Deal

Every Monday night at fire and ice is college student night. Students with a valid college ID eat all they can for a discounted 10.95 price. This is a terrific deal. For those unfamiliar with fire and ice, it is an all you can eat buffet where you create your own meal. Pick and choose from an excellent variety including udon noodles, shark, broccoli, aged tenderloin, chicken breast, pasta, egg noodles, meatballs, and bacon.They have an excellent selection of sauces for whatever you decide upon. If your feeling dangerous, try a scorpion bowl or an ice bowl; or both. The cooks will prepare your meal in front of you at their large circular grill. The experience is unique, and the food delicious. I recommend the sweet chili sauce on anything and the cheeseburgers are out of this world. Every college student should take advantage of this deal. Located in Harvard Square or in Boston on Arlington St.

Pearl Jam - Backsapcer (2009)

Pearl Jam, one of the most iconic bands from the 90's grunge scene, is back with their latest effort entitled "Backspacer". Since their debut album in 1990, the amazing "Ten", the band has released 9 full length albums including their latest. The band's sound has undoubtedly changed over the years as most bands do with age; unless your AC DC of course and keep rockin' that same chord progression all these years.

The opening song is a track called "Gonna See My Friend". It explodes out of the gates with a driving, head banging energy. Everything one is accustomed to hearing from pearl jam is here; a growling bassline, energetic drumming, layered guitar work and Vedder's howling vocals.

The lead single from the album is the next song, titled "The Fixer". This is with out a doubt PJ's poppiest song to date, and quite possibly their catchiest. Upon first listen it was stuck in my head. Now many fans may take issue with the band recording such a pop oriented song, but in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with an upbeat, cheerful song every now and then.

There are some really slow, acoustic, mellow tracks on the album that are reminiscent of Vedder's solo work on the soundtrack for Into "The Wild". The closing track is one of them, conspicuously titled "The End". This is a beautiful, touching track about life, loving, losing, and growing old. Vedder sounds like he's on the verge of tears and the guitar work compliments this wonderfully. Other highlights for me include "Amongst Waves" and "Unknown Thought".

There are some songs however that are just ok; not songs that can be placed amongst Pearl Jam’s upper echelon of songs, but listenable none the less. A song like "Johnny Guitar" is a prime example of this. There is nothing wrong with it per say, but nothing about it is immediately recognizable.

"Backspacer" IS their best album since 1998's "Yield", but nothing will come close to topping "Ten"; which is fine. For a band that has been around for as long as they have, and have released a few more than subpar albums, it’s safe to say, they still got it, and are going in the right direction.
7 out of 10

Brand New - Daisy (2009)

Brand new released their last (third) album, The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me (2006), three years ago now. The mysterious band from Long Island had fans itching to get at the very least a brief listen into what the new album might sound like. Would it be as drastic of a change as was the transition from their second album, Deja Entendu (2003), to their third album, or would it follow in the same direction as their dark and brooding previous work? But now with the new album (Daisy) being released fans can either rejoice or complain. If they’re wise they should be more than satisfied.

Brand New is a band that openly admits they don’t care what their fans want to hear. They play what they want to, and make music that they want to hear. Die hard fans are aware of this and just accept any change the band generates. What keeps fans is this certain appeal, this certain aurora that the band possesses. It’s something to do with the honesty in the music that few bands can attempt to rival. Daisy is a tad bit different then anything they’ve done before due to the fact that guitarist Vin Accardi wrote almost every song, where as in previous efforts singer/guitarist Jesse Lacey was the master song writer. Regardless, it is still very much Brand New, and Jesse has even stated that he and Vin have grown so close over the years everything he would write, Jesse feels the same way.

The album starts out what sounds like an old record being played and a woman belting out a heartfelt tune only to be loudly interrupted by what is quite possibly the band’s hardest song ever, vices. This sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the entire album. While there are a handful of mellow, slower songs, they all contain rather dark subject matter. The first single is a song called At the Bottom. One of the better songs on the album in my opinion and features something new from the band and is scattered elsewhere in a few different songs. The newness is the very southern rock vibe some of the guitars give off and even Jesse’s vocals. There are some songs that don’t work quite as well. Two are really similar and share almost the same formula; Sink and In A Jar. Start off with a strong almost southern rock feel, to only explode into chaotic not so catchy screaming layered over guitars that are all over the place. Top 3 songs are: Bought a Bride, Daisy, and Noro. Those three in my opinion pack the most emotion, thoughtful lyrics and catchiness that should have fans old and new rejoicing.
8.5 out of 10

Summary of what I intend to do with this here blog.

Hi There. This here is my music related blog. Because my music tastes are limited to pretty much all things that rock, I will not be posting about when the Jonas Brothers are comming to town or when a famous rapper says or does something offensive. I will be writing reviews on new albums or shows that contain the certain quality in music that I happen to consider good. And yes, the name of my blog is a Pat Benatar song.