Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s: The Daytrotter Sessions EP Review

I’ve been both thinking and listening to Metallica a lot lately. Lucky for me I received a new CD in the mail by Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s called The Daytrotter Sessions EP. Don’t count on me typing that band name out again, in the future I will refer to them simply as Margot. This band couldn’t be any more different than Metallica, and that has been a blessing for me. It’s finally a way to escape Metallica’s over bearing grip. The only relation this band has to Metallica, is their name starts with an “M.” Not only has this album made me avoid Metallica, but it provided me with one of the best listening experiences I’ve had this year.

Margot has earned a relation to a number of genres, the odd thing is, none of them are probably anything you’ve ever heard of. When reading up on them I stumbled across sex folk and chamber pop, the latter is the genre which fits them best. Just sit back and picture what chamber pop would sound like... Got it yet? Well if you don’t, hopefully this review will give you a better understanding.

On The Daytrotter Sessions EP, Margot lays down an imaginary blank pallet at the beginning of each song. As the song progresses you can practically see a landscape being painted by both the music and lyrics. The imagery in the songs are phenomenal, and truly put you in the setting which they are describing. The music is serene and delicate with a rich and deep textures. Margot incorporates violins and pianos into the majority of the songs, hence, chamber pop is born. The music has a very intimate sound giving you the feeling like they were playing right in front of you. Their sound is both light and soft, but at the same time very powerful and moving.

By the time this EP ended after five songs, I was so overwhelmingly depressed that I had reached the end. The lyrical imagery was outstanding, the song writing was fantastic, and the musical performance was stellar. Now it’s time for me to seek out some full length albums...

Grade: A

Second Metallica Single Available

Another new single from Metallica's newest album Death Magnetic has been released. The song is entitled "My Apocalypse" and can be seen on their website, and here is the direct address to the song, Metallica: My Apocalypse. The song has a much more thrash sound than the first single "The Day that Never Comes". The guitar solo on "My Apocalypse" also sounds a lot better than the one heard on "The Day that Never Comes". I'm not too happy with the production though, the drums sound too high in the mix, I hope that can be touched up by the time the album is released, but so far I would have to say things sound good so far.

Kristoffer Ragnstam: Wrong Side of the Room Review

Kristoffer Ragnstam’s music cannot be broken down with ease, and he can’t be compared to anyone out in the industry today. He has the postmodern sound which the young hipsters who are too cool for popularity eat up. The eclectic nature and post modern sound of his work can earn him comparisons with Beck, but the comparison can only be assessed with vague and broad descriptions. Wrong Side of the Room delivers on so many fronts, it’s bright, filled with character, and simply catchy.

Ragnstam’s music is incredibly fun – the driving rhythms and upbeat tones create a feel good album. Sensationally strong beats drive the music, while the rest of the instruments are merely pawns dancing around it. Ragnstam also adds both subtle and in your face effects to his music to give it more depth and traction. The formula works very well and everything feels connected and appropriate.

His voice is often reminiscent of Jack Johnson’s, and oddly enough, Ragnstam seemingly takes a shot at Johnson’s genre in his song “2008”, “Nothing bores me more than an overrated poet / with an acoustic guitar / and way too much to say.”

Ragnstam’s music will inevitably draw comparisons to Beck, but one of the many factors which separates his music from Beck’s, is that it is far more accessible. Wrong Side of the Room is incredibly fun in nature, and the great melodies driven by a strong beat are bound to put a smile on your face.

Grade: A-

New Metallica Single Available

Metallica has just released their newest single "The Day that Never Comes". You can it out on the bands MySpace. It sounds good, better than that Load of crap (pun intended) that has been the past twelve years. It sounds like they might be trying to reach back to their classic 80s sound. We can only hope that their new album Death Magnetic due for release on September 12th will be like the golden era...

Interview With G Tom Mac

Yesterday I posted a review on G Tom Mac's most recent album: Thou Shalt Not Fall. The album is fantastic from start to finish, I would highly recomend it to anyone who is interested in music that has an alternative rock/pop goth flavor. I was lucky enough to get Mac to answer some questions I had:

Question: If you were to describe your music to someone who has never heard it before, what would you say?

Answer: I've always felt my music to be that of the things I've gravitated to over my years that of one big melting (not in this order or any order) of John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Laura Nyro, Zep & the Kinks. Having said that I'm not any of these artists sound, but they have had an affect on me.

Lyrically I'm my own man deriving from everything I see, feel & touch.

Question: What bands/artists would you cite as your biggest influences?

Answer: as described above but include Snoop Dogg & Pharrel Williams love their work.

Question: How do you approach writing songs for films and TV? Is that approach different from writing songs which are seen on your albums?

When writing for films I'm never one to write what is going on in the film, but to write around it, something that circles the feel of the emotion of the story, but something that lives beyond the film as well, as in my own view of the films inspiration to me.

Question: When you hear your songs covered by the likes of Roger Daltrey, Chicago, and Carly Simon, how do you feel? Are there covers of your songs which you believe don’t capture the emotion you were trying to portray?

Most of the time I try to remove myself & my opinion from other artists versions of my song, as it takes on a life that's to be it's own when my songs get interpreted by others, I try not to think it's my song. when I listen. That way I might actually enjoy it. And yes their has been the occasional cringe! won't mention that though.

Question: With the exception of “Cry Little Sister”, were the songs on Thou Shalt Not Fall written specifically for the new album or taken from the past?

Most of the songs were much taken from the present as I try to draw from what world I'm in at the time. As I can't look back much for inspiration, the present is most valid.

Question: You have been writing music for quite some time now. Do you see the music industry changing for the better or has it been declining? Are bands today as talented as they were back in the 60s and 70s?

I tend to agree with most optimistic people about the climate of the music business, in that it is a brilliant time for new music as it's less of a frustration to getting your music heard & acknowledged. However it's not to say everyone will make a living doing it. It's all about people gravitating to what you have to say, and finding your audience that will support you in that, that's when you can quit your day job, providing they all come back for more of what you've got to say.

There are a stellar talents of bands out there that are on par with the greats of the 60's & 70's it's a matter of discovery on the part of the world of music lovers out there.

Question: If you were stuck on a desert island, what five albums would you bring?

My desert island 5 list still & will always be:

1) Jimi Hendrix Axis Bold as Love

2) Mahlers 9th symphony

3) Nirvana Nevermind

4) Beatles White album

5) Laura Nyro Eli & the Thirteenth Confession

6) Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy

Looks like G Tom Mac chose to sneak another album onto the island...

G Tom Mac: Thou Shalt Not Fall Review

When looking through possible CD’s that would spark my interest I stumbled across G Tom Mac’s Thou Shalt Not Fall. I dug a little deeper into his bio/press kit and witnessed a quote from Roger Daltrey of The Who. Daltrey said, "Gerard (aka G Tom Mac) seems to always have his finger on the pulse of whats about to happen musically, and an incredible amount of strength in his writing and voice." Whether or not he has his pulse on what is about to happen musically, I cannot say being that I’ve only listened to this album, but Daltrey was certainly right about the strength in both his song writing and voice.

The album opens up with the dark "Cry Little Sister", a song featured on the Lost Boys Soundtrack. In case you were wondering how he could have written a song for a movie released in 1987, G Tom Mac has been writing songs for TV and movies for quite some time, not to mention many of his songs have been covered by other artists, Thou Shalt Not Fall is his second full length album. "Cry Little Sister" along with many of the other songs on the album are pushing an almost industrial sound, similar to that of Nine Inch Nails with its emphasis on electronic sounds. As Daltrey stated, Mac is a stellar songwriter, and every song is immediately accessible. The hooks are strong (i.e. "Box of Fantasy"), the heartfelt emotion is always present (i.e. "You Are"), the fun grooving rhythms are around for the majority of the album (i.e. "Secret of Oz") and it was very well produced.

Considering such a large amount of his songs have been covered by other artists can only attest to his masterful song writing ability. One may think that because so many of his songs have been covered, he might not have the ability to perform them on his own. This is far from true, his vocal ability is very impressive, and sticking with the Nine Inch Nails relation earlier, is similar to Trent Reznor’s. Another aspect which makes his songs just that much better is his powerful lyrics.

While many may not know it, G Tom Mac is a veteran at crafting an emotionally powerful song. The strength of the album isn’t vaguely spread out throughout, instead it continues from one song to the next. Mac’s album is a refreshing listen - both original and dynamic.

Grade: B+

New BB King Album Set for Release on August 26th

The King of the Blues is set to release a new album featuring covers of old blues songs from B.B. King’s early influences. With production by T Bone Burnett (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Roy Orbison, Elvis Costello) the set revisits the music that influenced B.B. in the 1950s, the beginning of King’s extraordinary professional journey that, literally, changed the texture of modern blues playing. One Kind Favor will be released on Geffen Records August 26th.

Recorded at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, CA One Kind Favor is meant to sound like an album recorded in the 50s. To get this sound Burnett and King replicated the kind of blues band King had back in the day bringing in some of the greats – Dr. John on piano, Nathan East on stand up acoustic bass and Jim Keltner on drums, to name a few. Studio conditions of the time were reproduced. The result is a vintage sounding album filled with the songs that influenced King in his early days as an artist.

The Best Album of Each Year

I'm contemplating going on an ambitious endavor. Well, at least it's ambitious for me, considering my unreliablity when it comes to posting things on time. I'm thinking about going back in time reviewing the best album released each year starting from 2007 going back to 1963. I'm going with 1963 because I consider it the year that classic rock was forming, The Beatles released their first album and Dylan released his first album of original material. I'm not sure when I'm going to start, but hopefully when I do I can set some kind of timetable where I do one year a week. I'm going to be realistic and say that it's pretty unlikely that I'll stick to that regiment, but hopefully I can stay somewhere close. So expect a review of the best album of 2007 to be reviewed sometime next week.

Metallica Announces the First Leg of their North American Tour

All October/November dates with Down and The Sword :

October 21 - Glendale, AZ Jobing Arena
October 23 - Albquerque, NM Tingley Coliseum
October 25 - Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
October 26 - Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
November 1 - Portland, OR Rose Quarter
November 3 - Salt Lake City, UT Energy Solutions Arena
November 4 - Denver, CO Pepsi Center
November 6 - Omaha, NE Qwest Center
November 8 - Moline, IL iWireless Center
November 9 - Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
November 17 - St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
November 18 - Tulsa, OK BOK Center
November 20 - Houston, TX Toyota Center
November 22 - Little Rock, AR Alltel Arena
November 23 - New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena


All December dates with Lamb of God and The Sword:

December 1 - Seattle, WA Key Arena
December 2 - Vancouver, BC GM Place
December 4 - Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome
December 7 - Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
December 12 - Ontario, CA Citizens Bank Arena
December 13 - Fresno, CA Save Mart Center
December 15 - San Diego, CA Cox Arena
December 17 - Los Angeles, CA The Forum
December 20 - Oakland, CA Oracle Arena


All January dates with Machine Head and The Sword:

January 12 - Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
January 13 - Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena
January 15 - Washington, DC Verizon Center
January 17 - Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center
January 18 - Boston, MA TD Banknorth Center
January 26 - Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
January 29 - Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum
January 31 - Newark, NJ Prudential Center

Disclaimer

This coming week I will be away on vacation, so there probably won't be any posts from me, let alone any Internet...

After the recent little controversy / scuffle / misunderstanding on my blog, I felt that maybe some things need to be clarified in regards to my writing. This post is directed more to any band who I review, but is also relevant to anyone who reads my blog.

I write these reviews on my spare time, whether it be during my lunch break, on the train or at home. This is something which has become a bit of a hobby for me, and reviewing music in my opinion, should never be more than a hobby. Nobody in the world can have a final say on what does or does not sound good. Reviewing music is just a matter of opinion, and it is nothing more than that. Sure, somebody can break down every little aspect of a song from the time signature to each crescendo and decrescendo. Even with that knowledge, does that make you more apt to say what does or does not sound good? Of course not. If you were to ask me, I don't even think reviewing music could be a legitimate job, because once again, it is an opinion, and one persons opinion on how the music sounds is no more relevant than the next.

My opinion holds no value, and people shouldn't take it as it does. There is music out there that I am just completely unable to wrap my head around, yet that same music may touch someone in a way nothing else has. For example, I feel that Nirvana's In Utero is one of the best if not the best albums of the 90s. Bob's opinion however, is that In Utero is one of the biggest loads of crap of the 90s (Sorry for picking on you Bob.) Who is right? Neither of us, because it is just an opinion.

If any band is to read a negative review of their music on my blog, I don't believe they should take it personally. Because if you are writing something which feels right to you, then that is all that matters.

New U2 Album Set for Release in November

According to atu2.com, U2's long-awaited new studio album, reportedly titled "No Line On The Horizon", is tentatively scheduled for release on November 14, 2008 via Universal Music Group (November 17 in the UK and rest of Europe, and most likely November 18 in North America). The band's record company has already registered the internet domain name nolineonthehorizon.com - prompting speculation this will be the new record.

Earlier this week a 19-strong film crew headed to the Spanish city of Cadiz to shoot a video for the band's first single from the new album although the band were not believed to be present. An insider also said the U2 machine is gearing up for the release of one of the most keenly-awaited albums in recent years.

"The album is more or less all in the bag except for a few minor details," the source revealed. A lot of people have been waiting a long time for this album as they do with every U2 album. "But the word coming out is that the band is very, very happy with the end product and when U2 are happy it should be quite a piece of work. They're not easy to please."
"No Line On The Horizon" will be the first original work since the band released the smash-hit "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" in November 2004. It sold an incredible 10 million copies and picked up eight Grammy Awards.

U2 are also expected to announce details of a huge worldwide tour, which would almost certainly include a number of nights at the new O2 Arena in the Dublin Docklands - formerly known as the Point Theatre.

In a flurry of activity, the group have just re-released their first three albums - "Boy", "October" and their 1983 classic, "War" - in extended formats and with previously unreleased tracks.

Source: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/