Edensong: The Fruit Fallen Review

Edensong is the kind of band that won’t win over top twenty radio listeners. They may not even win over the more serious fans of rock. However, they will win over listeners who are willing to treat their music more than something that is just at face value. Edensong’s The Fruit Fallen is the kind of album that deserves and demands a handful of listens. In order to fully grasp what’s going on, one needs to dig beneath the many surfaces. There are buried layers which will go undetected to your average radio listener, but to music enthusiasts, there is quite a bit to appreciate.

Edensong is an eclectic prog band who mash together Medeival Folk, Metal, and Symphonic Prog to create a sound which would be like mashing together Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, and Rush. The music, as you may have already been able to decipher, carries heavy progressive sentiments.

There are times when the songs fall into the many traps that progressive rock creates, such as the music taking itself a bit too seriously. Another issue which scarcely arises is the frantic switching of time signatures which can make the music sound a little fragmented and disconnected. Other than those two flaws, which are hardly heard throughout the tenure of the seventy-one minute album, this is a solid progressive release.

There is an abundance of dynamics and layers, which can only be appreciated with repeated listens. The Fruit Fallen is filled with seemingly opposite dynamics playing off of each other, from the slow and light acoustic sections to the loud dark metal riffs. It ends up tightly fitting together, and lays the foundation for this ominous work.

Progressive Rock is a tough genre to master. There are plenty of pitfalls a band can fall victim to, but if done correctly, the work can be a masterpiece. Edensong is close to piecing together the perfect formula. At times this album can sound a little too much like a stereotypical cliche prog album which has given the genre a bad name, but the majority of this album shows why the genre is one of the best.

Grade: B-

2008 Imagine Echoes Awards

Worst Band of the Year: New Found Glory
Wow! Four years in a row. Congrats on consistently delivering the worst music possible. And just like last year, there is no need to even pick a runner up, because New Found Glory is in a league of their own.

Song of the Year: Metallica: “That Was Just Your Life”
Now this was a tough category to decide! Up to a few hours ago I had it pinned down to “Carolina Drama” by the Racontuers and “That Was Just Your Life” by Metallica. As you can see, Metallica pulled away in the end, but only by the slightest of margins. “That Was Just Your Life” was the perfect way to open up Death Magnetic. It had reminents of And Justice for All, and specifically “Blackened”. The song is loud, fast, and contains every element that makes Metallica great.

Runner Up: The Racontuers: "Carolina Drama"

Comeback Band of the Year: Metallica
Has Metallica really gone anywhere? No, not really. The reason they take this category is completely due to their return to what made them great. The old formula of thrashy, angry, and lengthy songs has worked once again. Death Magnetic may not be another Ride the Lightning or Master of Puppets, but it’s the closest they’ve come in a very long time. There’s no reason to expect perfection like that, and anyone who is disappointed with anything less than those two albums probably has a very small music collection.
Runner Up: AC/DC

Moment of the Year: Guns N’ Roses Threatens Dr. Pepper
One would probably assume that the release of Chinese Democracy is bigger news than Guns N Roses threatening legal action against Dr. Pepper. And it probably is. But the one thing that was bigger than the news of the release of Chinese Democracy was the marketing campaign by Dr. Pepper promising all Americans a free can of Dr. Pepper if the album was released sometime this year. What seemed like a genius marketing ploy at the time, due to the inconceivable notion that there was any possibility of Axl actually releasing his album that seemed more folklore than fact, turned out to be a giant fiasco. Dr. Pepper was unable to meet the high demand on their website where everyone could redeem their coupons, and the server crashed. Axl in return threatened legal action against Dr. Pepper for its inability to meet its promise to America. We’ll see where this goes in 2009.
Runner Up: Metallica Returns Back to Old Form

Album Cover of the Year: The Mars Volta: The Bedlam in Goliath
Should we expect anything less from the Volta. Not only do they continue to push boundaries musically, they also deliver the best artwork on all of their albums. Like their previous album Amputechture, the artwork was done by Jeff Jordan. The scene seems to depict a westernization of the Middle East, and of course it’s done stunningly.
Runner Up: Fleet Foxes: S/T

Debut Album of the Year: Absentstar: Sea Trials
I’m typically pretty anti straight up pop rock, but Absenstar nails the genre seamlessly. The music is filled with hooks galore and passion. Absenstar looks no further than accomplishing those basic goals. This isn’t an album that will stun you with innovative material, instead it’s just the kind of album you slap on if you’re looking for some simple and solid tunes.
Runner Up: The Dead Trees: King of Rosa


Album of the Year: The Killers: Day and Age
This choice wasn’t necessarily easy. Any of the albums that I nominated could have easily fallen into the top spot. While I know that I’ll probably receive a lot of gripe for ranking this as the album of the year, I’m going to stick with my gut. The Killers, whether anyone wants to believe it or not, have yet to release a sup bar album. They offer a creative blend of pop rock that remains fresh and at the same time continues to evolve. Brandon Flowers huge ego won’t win any light hearted people over, but he manages to create music that is impossible to ignore, whether for better or worse.
Runner Up: The Racontuers: Consolers of the Lonely

Band of the Year: Metallica
The past two years, the band that I named band of the year had also won album of the year. So what makes Metallica an exception?

Fans had all but written off Metallica prior to St. Anger, and once that was released, the flood gates opened and the wrath of metal heads was unleashed. Does Metallica deserve any preferential treatment for finally getting it right? Probably not. But I’m going to give it to them anyhow. Death Magnetic rocks on practically every level. The only problem which I have stated before is there is an excess of material. Why do bands feel they need to throw every song they’ve written onto an album? Keep it short and give us the best material you have to offer. Thankfully the strong material is fantastic. I even got chills when I first heard the album opener, “That Was Just Your Life”. Metallica’s strong comeback to prominence earns them band of the year.

Those Who Thought Lennon Was Dead

Think again...

Top Ten Albums of 2008

1. The Killers: Day & Age
2. The Racontuers: Consolers of the Lonely
3. REM: Accelerate
4. The Mars Volta: The Bedlam in Goliath
5. Kristoffer Ragnstam: Wrong Side of the Room
6. John Mellencamp: Life, Death, Love & Freedom
7. Metallica: Death Magnetic
8. Absentstar: Sea Trials
9. Cat Power: Jukebox
10. The Dead Trees: King of Rosa

So once again, in conjunction with many of the best blogs on the Internet, I have ranked my top ten albums of 2008. At the top spot, is The Killers with their third album Day & Age--a fantastic group of songs that sound fresh and rank at the very top of their catalog. At the two and three spot, are two albums released just within days of each other. REM hit it big this year with their best album since Automatic for the People. After a long stretch of so-so releases, they were able to give a considerable amount of credibility to their artistic hype which may be a bit blown out of proportion.

The Mars Volta continued to do what they do best--they pushed boundaries, and made some tweaks to their sound and created an album that sounded like a brick wall hitting you over the head. At times there is so much going on it becomes a bit overwhelming, but this album pays massive dividends if given enough attention.

Metallica was also able to release their strongest effort since The Black Album. Metallica finally went back to their roots and recorded material similar to their heyday in the 80s. If they were to have cut out a few songs then this album could easily be considered in the top three. It's a bit too long for my taste, not to mention a few of the songs are completely worth passing over.

Finally, there were several lesser known bands to make the list who competed with the big wigs. Kristoffer Ragnstam released an album that sounded extremely fresh and would be comparable to Beck. Absenstar delivered a straight forward pop-rock album with no gimmicks, just catchy music. The Dead Trees came out with the strongest dose of Americana induced music which landed them the final spot on my top ten albums of 2008.

Was 2008 a spectacular year for music? Problably not. But it did have some fantastic moments.

Heavy Metal Addiction -- http://hardrockheavymetal.wordpress.com/

Hard Rock Hideout -- http://hardrockhideout.wordpress.com/

Heavy Metal Time Machine -- http://metalmark.blogspot.com/

Bring Back Glam -- http://bringbackglam.squarespace.com/

Rock And Roll and Meandering Nonsense -- http://rnrnonsense.toomanyvoices.com/

All Metal Resource -- http://allmetalresource.com/

Imagine Echoes -- http://www.imagineechoes.com/

Metal Excess -- http://metalexcess.wordpress.com/

The Ripple Effect -- http://www.ripplemusic.blogspot.com/

Rock Of Ages -- http://rockofages.wordpress.com/

Layla's Classic Rock -- http://laylasclassicrock.blogspot.com/

Hair Metal Mansion -- http://hairbangersradio.ning.com/

The Metal Minute -- http://rayvanhornjr.blogspot.com/

2008 Imagine Echoes Awards: Nominees

Well it's that time of the year again. The winners will be announced in a few days. Here are the nominees for the annual awards.

Band of the Year:
1. The Killers
2. Metallica
3. The Racontuers
4. R.E.M.

Album of the Year:
1. The Killers: Day and Age
2. R.E.M.: Accelerate
3. The Racontuers: Consolers of the Lonely
4. The Mars Volta: Bedlam in Goliath

Debut Album of the Year:
1. Fleet Foxes: S/T
2. Absenstar: Sea Trials
3. Rosewood Thieves: Rise & Shine
4: The Dead Trees: King of Rosa

Song of the Year:
1. The Killers: "Spaceman"
2. Metallica: "That Was Just Your Life"
3. The Racontuers: "Carolina Drama"
4. The Mars Volta: "Goliath"

Comeback Band of the Year:
1. Guns N' Roses
2. AC/DC
3. Metallica
4. Judas Priest

Album Cover of the Year:
1. Cat Power: Jukebox
2. The Mars Volta: Bedlam in Goliath
3. Fleet Foxes: S/T
4. The Dead Trees: King of Rosa

Moment of the Year:
1. Guns N' Roses sues Dr. Pepper for their site going down during the free Dr. Pepper giveaway
2. Metallica returns to old form in Death Magnetic
3. Janes Addictions reunites to play a small club
4. Nine Inch Nails pull a Radiohead and release their newest album The Slip for free

Worst Band of the Year:
1. New Found Glory
2. My Chemical Romance
3. Fall Out Boy
4. Coldplay

To see past winners, here are the links:
2007 Awards
2006 Awards
2005 Awards

Another Week Another Vinyl: The Beatles: 1962-1966

So this week I had so many options to choose from, and all thanks to Bob over at Rock N' Roll and Meandering Nonsense. Bob was gracious enough to give me a bunch (if not all) of his vinyls that he had doubles of. A lot of work from The Beatles were in the mix, such as, Let it Be, Abbey Road, Hey Jude as well as two of their greatest hits albums. Many other albums were included such as, Bon Jovi Slipper When Wet, Paul McCartney Band on the Run, Joe Jackson Night and Day and many others.

The one I chose to feature this week was the one getting the most play, and that is The Beatles 1962-1966. If you've been reading this blog since the very beginning, you may remember that I labeled The Beatles as the greatest band of all time, and I still stick to that belief. They may rank second in terms of my favorite bands behind Floyd, but their importance and knack for writing incredible music is unparalleled to any other band. This album takes a great chunk of their greatest work from the early days and piles it all together for an incredible listen. I tend to favor their later work than earlier, but sometimes I'm in the mood for some good old fashioned straight forward Pop, and this more than quenches that thirst. Thanks Again Bob!

It's Not Easy Being Green

WARNING: THIS IS NOT A MUSIC RELATED POST. INSTEAD JUST A REACTION TO THE TERRIBLE NY JETS PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE SEAHAWKS.

Whenever I tell someone my favorite football team is the Jets, I always get the same reaction – “Wow, that sucks!” And unlike practically any fan of any other team, I promptly reply, “Yeah, it does.”

I haven’t lived through so much of the pain in Jets history, which may make me pretty lucky. I never had to live through many of the classic moments in Jets history, like some dude named A.J. Duhe of the Dolphins picking off, not one, not two, but three Richard Todd passes in the AFC Championship. I never had to witness the 1983 draft where we proudly selected QB Ken O’Brien over Dan Marino. Hell, I didn’t even have to see Mark Gastineau cost us a game due to a well timed personal foul in the playoffs which they had all but locked up against the Browns.

Oh, I’ve seen my fair share of wonderful Jets moments, like the epic 1-15 season, the second half collapse against the Broncos in the AFC Championship game, and the missed Doug Brien FG’s which would have earned them a spot in the AFC Championship. My soul should pretty much be immune to all things related to Jets football.

Well with all that said, one would think that I would be accustomed to Jets collapses. Surely I saw all those moments coming. And obviously I would have predicted the Jets to lose to the Seahawks yesterday. Yet for some reason, it never gets easy. I switch seating positions every few minutes desperately looking for the lucky spot. I toss on my Favre jersey, and when that doesn’t work, I try my Chrebet jersey, and if that doesn’t work, I just wear both, and if none of that works, I just sport my lucky undershirt, which must have worn thin by week thirteen. I even think that shaving on Sunday is unlucky. I’m not a superstitious person, only with the Jets, and clearly I haven’t quite found my lucky charm yet.

So why do I find myself screaming at the TV as each Sunday? Why is it that I needed to cover holes in my walls with posters thanks to the Jets giving me bloody knuckles? Why is it that I need to search around for the batteries from my remote that was flung across the room? It’s simply because the Jets have a knack for giving their fans false hope. I know all my optimism with the Jets is misplaced. I just want something to believe in. I want for one time in my life to be proud of my team – just one chance in my life to go to the store the day after the Super Bowl and buy a Jets Super Bowl Champions sweatshirt. To bask in the glory when the clock hits zero on the final game of the NFL year and the Gang Green are celebrating on the fifty yard-line.

Instead of that it’s looking like I’m going to have to stick it out another year, and remind myself that the worst curse in my life is being a Jets fan. No, I’ll never stop rooting, I’ll be watching every preseason game, and reminding both my family and friends that I’m not allowed to do anything besides watch the game on Sundays. I know I’ll be there year after year whining about why the Jets need to fire their coach, get a new QB, or any other possible excuse. I’m at that point now. I already want Mangini’s head on the chopping block, and I’m hoping and praying that Brett Ratliff will be everything that I hoped for, and those thoughts are only the beginning. My to-do list for the rest of my life is rather short, and at the very top – is witnessing a Jets Super Bowl victory. And would it be crazy to think that even at the age of twenty-two I’ll never get to see that?

New U2 Album Set for Release in March 09'

Irish rockers U2 have named their new album No Line On The Horizon, and will release it worldwide in early March, their label said on Thursday.

The quartet's 12th studio album was originally expected to be released by the end of this year, but the band announced in September that it would keep writing more tunes. Recording took place in Morocco, Dublin, New York and London.

Interscope Records will release No Line On The Horizon internationally on March 2, and a day later in North America.

It marks the follow-up to How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, which was released in late 2004 and went on to sell 9 million copies worldwide, according to Interscope. It also garnered U2 their second album of the year Grammy, following 1987's "The Joshua Tree."

The new album was produced by long-time collaborators Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, with additional production by Steve Lillywhite. Tunes recorded in 2006 with producer Rick Rubin, the man behind Johnny Cash's comeback, have been jettisoned.

Tour plans have not been announced. The "Vertigo" world tour for the last album ran from March 2005 to December 2006. U2 is partnered on touring and merchandise with concert promoter Live Nation Inc, which said earlier on Thursday that it bought back the band's stock in the company for a guaranteed $25 million - $19 million more than the market price. Interscope is a unit of Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group.

Source: Reuters.com.

Coheed and Cambria to Release 9-Disc Box Set

COHEED AND CAMBRIA TO RELEASE 9-DISC BOX SET ON MARCH 17, 2009 TO COMMEMORATE THEIR HISTORIC NEVERENDER SHOWS IN NEW YORK CITY

Columbia Records is excited to announce that on March 17, 2009, Coheed and Cambria will release Neverender, The Children of the Fence boxset, a release that is possibly as ambitious as the event itself.

Neverender marked the triumphant culmination of the band's four-album album cycle. The historic four-night event featured the band performing each of their four albums in their entirety on four consecutive nights, October 22-25 2008 at New York’s Terminal 5 and was the first time that Coheed had performed the saga that connects the albums in order. The band performed in front of nearly 11,000 of their most passionate fans, who flew in from all over the world, organized for months in advance to carpool and share hotel rooms, lined up all day in the rain to get the best spots on the floor. Selling out in three hours, Neverender’s New York dates prompted a tide of demand that spawned three other sold-out Neverender stands, in LA, Chicago, and London.

The box set documents the New York stand (as well as clips from all 3 other cities) in one massive package that will include four live DVDs, four live audio CDs, one documentary DVD, a 10x10 hardcover 48-page photo book and a 7-1/2” custom metal dragonfly. A condensed two-disc DVD will also be made available. Pre-sales for the box began on Friday, Dec 12. Fans who pre-order it will get their names included on a “Children of the Fence” page inside the book. The first 3,000 copies will be signed by the band.

Coheed and Cambria begin a tour with Slipknot on Jan, 23rd. Full tour dates are below.

01/23/09- Xcel Energy Center - St. Paul, MN
01/24/09- Sprint Center - Kansas City, MO
01/25/09- Mid America Center - Council Bluffs, IA
01/27/09- Alliant Energy Center Memorial Coliseum - Madison, WI
01/28/09- Wells Fargo Arena - Des Moines, IA
01/30/09- Allstate Arena - Rosemont, IL
01/31/09- The Palace of Auburn Hills - Auburn Hills, MI
02/02/09- Peoria Civic Center - Peoria, IL
02/03/09- Pepsi Coliseum - Indianapolis, IN
02/05/09- Madison Square Garden - New York, NY
02/06/09- Tsongas Arena - Lowell, MA
02/07/09- Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
02/09/09- Greensboro Coliseum Complex - Greensboro, NC
02/10/09- Cricket Arena - Charlotte, NC
02/11/09- Bi-Lo Center - Greenville, SC
02/13/09- 1st Mariner Arena - Baltimore, MD
02/14/09- Rupp Arena - Lexington, KY
02/15/09- Sommet Center - Nashville, TN
02/17/09- Gwinnett Center - Duluth, GA
02/18/09- UCF Arena - Orlando, FL
02/19/09- Pensacola Civic Center - Pensacola, FL
02/21/09- Concrete Street Amphitheater - Corpus Christi, TX
02/22/09- Nokia Theatre - Grand Prairie, TX
02/23/09- BOK Center - Tulsa, OK
02/26/09- Verizon Wireless Theater - Houston, TX
02/28/09- El Paso County Coliseum - El Paso, TX
03/01/09- Freeman Coliseum - San Antonio, TX
03/03/09- Denver Coliseum - Denver, CO
03/04/09- Tingley Coliseum - Albuquerque, NM
03/05/09- Jobing.com Arena - Glendale, AZ
03/07/09- The Forum - Inglewood, CA
03/08/09- Cox Arena - San Diego, CA
03/10/09- Citizens Business Bank Arena - Ontario, CA
03/11/09- ARCO Arena - Sacramento, CA

The Brilliant Mistakes: Distant Drumming Review

What makes a good pop song? Easy. A great hook. The Brilliant Mistakes, have made an album that are chock full of them, from top to bottom, from beginning to end. It almost becomes frustrating because by the time the next song comes on, I'm still singing the previous in my head. What makes this band even more likable is the fact that their music has a certain charm to it. The Brilliant Mistakes sound like a group of guys who thoroughly enjoy writing and composing music. It's bright and happy; and while singer Alan Walker may not be seeing any American Idol victories in his future, he sings with cheer and shines a brighter light on this already glowing music. Take all of that and douse it with smart and sincere lyrics, then you have a flawless combination. Their sound is a bit similar to that of Wilco's, but they still manage to retain their own distinct sound by mixing folk-pop, Americana, and a dab of country. Distant Drumming will take your mind back to your early teenage years where you're holding hands with your girlfriend/boyfriend and skipping merrily down the sidewalk. If you don't feel great when listening to this album, then it would probably be in your best intrest to seek out some Prozac.

Grade: B

Days Between Stations: S/T Review

Lush and haunting sonic landscapes. Screeching Gilmore-esque solos. Instrumental masterpieces. Progressive deliciousness. Songs that tell stories without lyrics. That is just a little bit of what you’re getting with Days Between Stations. When I was listening to this album for the first time, I immediately thought to myself, "Now this is one of the best albums of the year." But wait! It was released in 2007, I’m a year off. Where I have been all this time? And why has it taken me so long to discover one of the greatest things to grace my very ears in such a long time?

The album can best be described as instrumental symphonic prog-- not too different from the likes of Pink Floyd, touching on all eras from the early days, to the golden age, to the Waters dominated section, and the late Gilmore years. The self titled debut opens up with a haunting piano line with eerie vocals and synths dancing around it. The song continues to travel along lasting over thirteen minutes in length, and every second is precious. "Either/Or" sounds like Days Between Stations’ take on Floyd’s "The Great Gig in the Sky". It features soulful female vocals wailing with intensity, which don’t quite touch Clair Tory’s, but effectively purvey a sense of urgency. The song closes down with a nice touch of spacey synth making for one enjoyable ride.

The eerie theme which runs throughout the album becomes a distant memory once "Radio Song" arrives. The song appears to be a little out of place amongst all the dark chill, but on its own, it’s a bright little ditty which feels a little like Muse’s "Knight’s of Cydonia" once the trumpet takes control. Then comes the finale to a record that is marked by epicness (It’s probably not a word, but for the sake of this review, it has been momentarily added to Websters Dictionary.)

"Laudanum" is a four part, twenty two minute song, which is in the same vein as the opening track, leading the listener in a complete circle. It’s the kind of song that leaves your mind floating through space, with a spooky and exotic backdrop delivered by pianos, guitars, synths, drums and whatever other instrument your mind can think of. Soulful guitar solos run rampant throughout, and the album reaches its end with the accompaniment of an acoustic guitar and horns, leaving the listener in a complete daze.

From the very first note to the very last, you will feel miles from solid ground. The songs meander and drift through haunting sonic landscapes, never once becoming complacent and drab. Even on my tenth listen, everything sounded so fresh, and with the musical expertise of Days Between Stations, I can only dream of what is in store for the future. Now only if this album were released this year. It would make for a much easier decision in my top ten list.

Grade: A+

Another Week Another Vinyl: John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Double Fantasy

I actually purchased this album the same week I bought Autumn to Spring from The Nice. However, I found it more appropriate to post this on the anniversary of Lennon’s death. It’s sadly been 28 years since Lennon was ripped from the world, and no matter how cliche this may sound, his music continues to live on and is just as powerful as it was when he recorded it. Double Fantasy was the last album released before Lennon’s death, and was the final insight on Lennon’s transformation in his personal life.

Double Fantasy is the kind of album that makes you happy we are in the digital age. Sure, I’ll be the first to bash iTunes, but it’s not necessarily all that bad when you take into account albums like this. Double Fantasy is incredibly historic, and quite good-- that is if you listen to every other song... John and Yoko split the musical duties evenly, and respectively take on every other song, which inevitably means you have to listen to the squealing Yoko Ono every second track. John’s songs are fantastic and if you were to exclude Yoko from the mix, you would have a stellar album. He sets the mood so well on all of his songs, only to be ruined by Ono each and every time.

Double Fantasy is certainly a nice vinyl to have in my collection. Its historical value is like no other, but this album is better off listened to on my iPod where I can conveniently delete all of Yoko’s contributions. Yoko may not be as evil as everyone makes her out to be, but there is no doubt her artistic talents are better left off in any spectrum that isn’t associated with music.

And no, Yoko didn’t break up The Beatles. Time did.

Sammy Hagar: Cosmic Universal Fashion Review

I hate Van Halen! Whether it be the Roth era, or the Hagar era, it all sucks. Every time I hear "Jump" on the radio with its lame synth opening I cringe and fumble over the tuner to change the station. Even when I hear their music in movies I just shake my head and wonder what people see in them. So guilty by association, is Sammy Hagar. Great way to start a review, right? Well I am looking at this album with an open mind, but even with the hard feelings put aside, Hagar doesn’t change my mind.

The album opens up with a screeching solo, and follows up with a modern riff, but Hagar’s vocals sound more like angry talking than singing which puts a heavy damper to the song. Then there is a glimmer of hope for Hagar on "Peephole". It’s an aggressive and gritty track with some real bite. It sounds authentic and Hagar’s vocals sear through it all. Then that glimmer of hope fades quickly. The next track, "Loud" sounds like an outsider trying to do a Kid Rock impersonation of Bob Seger.

Hagar is seemingly ignorant to his age. He covers the famous Beastie Boys tune, "Fight For Your Right to Party" giving it a rock overtone while keeping the same basic melody. It sounds completely pretentious and the near senior citizen doesn’t hesitate one bit to let his audience know how much he likes to party. On the sadly hilarious track, "24365", Hagar declares he’ll party just about anywhere–whether it be on the freeway or the bathroom, Hagar is down to party. During the whole album we’re reminded of his degrading old age which makes it just that much more woeful.

Nothing is worse than an artist trying to pull off something he simply can’t do. Hagar falls victim to this and it ends up being quite sad. At 61 years old, he tries to replicate the sound and energy of a young teen, and there comes a time to know when to move on. Hagar can still continue to create new music, but he needs to stay within his boundaries, which are nothing like the ones he had in the 80s.

Grade: F

Another Week Another Vinyl: The Nice: Autumn to Spring

I've always considered myself a pretty big fan of prog rock. Yet for some reason I've never sought out any music from one of progs pioneers. The Nice. When I was searching through the record store, I didn't have The Nice on my mind. To think about it, The Nice were probably one of the last bands on my mind. Then I came across a copy of their album Autumn to Spring. I was immediately interested. I had always wanted to listen to them but never had anything pushing me towards them besides the very fact that Keith Emerson was in the band and they are one of the originators of prog. Well here was my chance. I had never even heard of the album, but why not try it out?

I pulled the vinyl out of the jacket and was met with an awesome picture on the center of the disc. It was a cartoon of the Mad Hatter from Alice and Wonderland (Not the Mad Hatter from the famous "Mad Hatter Music" blog.) It appeared to be the logo of The Famous Charisma Label, aka Charisma Label, who I had never previously heard of. I did some research and saw they were behind many progs giants like Genesis and Van der Graaf Generator amongst others. They would later be bought out by various giants in the music biz and eventually disolved.

Aside from that little departure, the music was quite good. It turns out Autumn to Spring is a complation album, mainly taking from their debut album. From what I have read these songs are just remastered and it's practically the same as their debut. That didn't matter much to me seeing that I don't even own any of their music.

The album is quite good, and isn't full on prog but touches of it are certainly present. One of the most notable presences I heard on the album was Emerson. His distinct style and sound was immediately recognizable and brought me right back to ELP. This was a great introduction to one of the prog pioneers and I will certainly be on the lookout for more material.

Nirvana: In Utero Review

There are some albums in a person’s life which defy something more than great music–they become a staple in the fabric of ones life. In Utero is that album for me. This is one of the first albums I ever purchased, and has stuck with me throughout time. I was only nine or so when first hearing In Utero, so at the time, it was nothing more than loud and angry music that I loved. Yet when I reached High School this album became so much more. It was an album with depth, with heart, and with pure unadulterated anger that was hiding nothing. In Utero is Nirvana’s finest achievement.

Nirvana began their musical career with the debut album Bleach - a raw album that showed a band which had some way to go before hitting full stride. Then Nevermind hit the scene opening up with the four chord riff that would hold the world hostage. Kurt had developed his song writing capabilities by leaps and bounds and wrote some of the greatest melodies in rock. Nirvana however, had sacrificed much of it’s raw power for a solid hook on Nevermind. This would ultimately lead to their final album In Utero. It would bridge the gap between Bleach and Nevermind. It captured the intensity of Bleach without sacrificing the melodies of Nevermind. It was the album that Nirvana was bound to create.

Fans who were exclusive to the cleanly produced Nevermind received quite a shock when listening to In Utero. Recording engineer Steve Albini created an album that sounded raw enough to be confused with a live recording. Songs like "Scentless Apprentice" and "Radio Friendly Shifter Unit" have an extremely aggressive hard rock/punk sound with crunchy riffs and the purist of primal screams. Bleeding through the intensity are memorable melodies and strong choruses, and even the most raucous of songs like "Milk It" will have listeners singing along. Throughout all of the heavy chaos, In Utero wasn’t without its fair share of radio friendly hits, notably "Heart Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" top the list.

In Utero captured the very height of Kurts lyrical capabilities. The amount of memorable lines are endless. The opening lyric of the album gives a glimpse of what’s in store–"Teenage angst has paid off well." This is Kurt’s most introspective album and is a diary of his entire life–from his parents divorce on "Serve the Servants", "That legendary divorce is such a bore", to his chronic stomach illness on "Pennyroyal Tea", "I’m on warm milk and laxatives, cherry-flavored antacids." Three songs in, is the eclipse of Kurt’s lyrical prowess. "Heartshaped Box" has lyrics that are absolutely unforgettable, "She eyes me like a Pisces when I am weak / I’ve been locked inside your heart shaped box for a week / I was drawn into your magnet tar pit trap / I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black." The final line leaves a lasting impression like no other lyric in Nirvana’s career.

This long winded review doesn’t even touch on all I want to say, but I need to know when to stop. Nirvana’s In Utero is the greatest album of their short career. It’s intensity is unmatched, the lyrics are untouchable, and the melodies ring in my head. All of the best characteristics of Nirvana were culminated to create In Utero. Everything great about this band is at its height in their final record. It is sad to think that there could have been so much more to offer, but as Kurt said in "Milk It", "Look on the bright side, suicide." Unfortunately when he wrote those lyrics he was being literal.

Grade: A+