everything that's on my mind

For nearly a month I’ve been planning to post my mid-year music list, but just haven’t been able to carve out time to write such a post. I’ve put a list together, but have nothing else so far.

Therefore, due to my lack of time and/or diligence, and while I await the release that will most certainly top my list at year end, here’s an abbreviated version of my mid-year favorites list, lacking any commentary on my part.

These are not in order – again, I didn’t get around to ranking them. But I include my top 10 for the year so far along with my second ten and nine others from 2009 that I missed at the time but have been listening to a lot this year.

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Top Ten

American Slang – The Gaslight Anthem
American VI: Ain’t No Grave – Johnny Cash
Heaven is Whenever – The Hold Steady
Letting Go – Jennifer Knapp
Sea of Cowards – The Dead Weather
So Runs The World Away – Josh Ritter
Something’s Coming – Ty Tabor
The Learner – Griffin House
True Believer – Matthew Barber
Women and Country – Jakob Dylan

Second Ten

Contra – Vampire Weekend
Court Yard Hounds – Court Yard Hounds
End Times – Eels
High Violet – The National
Little Vigils – Mark Erelli
Mojo – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Scream – Ozzy Osbourne
Together – The New Pornographers
Transference – Spoon
Volume Two – She & Him

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9 from ’09

Get Lucky – Mark Knopfler
Horehound – The Dead Weather
Love Remains – Alice Peacock
Strict Joy – The Swell Season
Swoon – Silversun Pickups
Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures
The Mountain – Heartless Bastards
This Is War – 30 Seconds to Mars
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – Phoenix

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That’s it. That’s the list.

I have only downloaded a few recent releases since my last “now playing” post. With the recent death of Ronnie James Dio, I’ve actually been downloading some of his early albums via eMusic, albums which I owned in high school (on cassette.) I’ve managed to get his two albums with Black Sabbath (Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules) and his first two solo albums (Holy Diver, The Last in Line). Those four are his best work by far, in my opinion, and all four are excellent. Dio will definitely be missed.

I’ve also started to fill in some Van Halen holes in my catalog as well, downloading two of their early works as well (Van Halen II, Fair Warning). Great stuff.

But it’s not all reminiscing. There are new albums on my iPod as well, so here’s a few words about those and some others that will soon be joining them.

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Mojo Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers I was underwhelmed after my first listen to this newest from one of my all-time favorite bands, but it grew on me quickly and I’m really starting to appreciate it. As I’ve said before, I pretty much love all things Tom Petty. Definitely a must-have if you love what these guys do. Here’s “I Should Have Known It”:

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American Slang The Gaslight Anthem I’ve been pumped about this album since I first heard a release date. After loving their last release The ’59 Sound so much, I also feared my expectations would be too high and I would be disappointed. But there was no need to worry as they are back in fine form with another excellent album. Matt endorsed it earlier today, and I echo that as well. Here’s an acoustic version of the title track:

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This Is War 30 Seconds to Mars A daily deal on amazonmp3 introduced me to 30 Seconds to Mars. This album reminds me at times of a less-heavy Dream Theater, with a bit of My Chemical Romance thrown in. The fair amount of synths used also brings back memories of something born in the 80′s on occasion. Overall, I like it a lot. Check out “Kings and Queens”:

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As for upcoming releases…

The Learner Griffin House Thanks to eMusic, I’ve come across a lot of music I probably would have missed out on (for example, the aforementioned The Gaslight Anthem.) Singer-songwriter Griffin House is likely among those as well. He’s recorded some great albums already, and Tuesday, 6/22, can’t come quick enough. I’ve heard two songs from this one so far, and can’t wait for the rest. Here’s “River City Lights”:

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Scream Ozzy Osbourne I’ve been an Ozzy fan since high school and at this point, that doesn’t look to change. His last few albums haven’t really impressed me as a whole (although they provided a few great songs), but I’ve already listened to this newest (due out Tuesday as well) via his MySpace page and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. I just might have to pick it up (for the right price.) Check out “Let Me Hear You Scream”:

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God WIllin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs Ray’s last album, Gossip In The Grain, was a gem I discovered via Scott‘s recommendation. It is just outstanding, and his next offering will be available in August. If this first single, “Beg, Steal or Borrow”, is any indication, I’m going to like it a whole lot.

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I will also mention briefly that Eels and Arcade Fire also have new releases due out in August, which I will anxiously await as well.

However, the biggest release of the year is – without question – the fifteenth studio album from my favorite band of all time.

The Final Frontier – Iron Maiden
 

That’s right. Iron Maiden will be releasing The Final Frontier in mid-August and I am just beside myself. I can’t really put into words my love of the music of Iron Maiden, and so after a four year wait – the longest ever between Maiden (studio) releases – I will be blessed with new Maiden material.

Later this summer, I’ll likely be beginning a countdown of sorts by reviewing the first 14 albums in the Iron Maiden catalog, so you’ll know to avoid this blog during late July and early August.

There have been rumors that this will be the last studio effort by Iron Maiden, based on something Steve Harris once said about making 15 albums. It wasn’t set in stone, of course, and nothing ever is with musicians. I believe Ozzy recorded his “last album” back in the mid-90′s, and KISS had a farewell tour about a dozen years ago and yet they refuse to go away. (Their Dr. Pepper commercials really suck, by the way.)

However, with an album title like “The Final Frontier”, the speculation will be there until they dispel the rumors or release number 16 in a few years. We’ll see.

I will not dwell on that too much, though. A new Iron Maiden album is on it’s way. And there is much rejoicing.

Here’s the first single, “El Dorado”:

 
Up the irons.

That’s it. That’s the list.

I’ve already amassed a lot of music less than five months into the year, and May in particular has already been a monster month, with several outstanding new releases. I’m also looking forward to June releases from The Gaslight Anthem and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. And maybe even Ozzy’s newest. But for now, here’s most of what I’ve been listening to recently.
 

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Something’s Coming – Ty Tabor (2010)
While I’ve been somewhat disillusioned by the newest releases from King’s X (still good, but not great), Ty’s solo stuff seems to keep getting better. Here’s an album preview:
 

 

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Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures (2009)
I intended to get this album last year when it was released, but never got around to it until this March. I wish I had not waited. Here’s “New Fang” live:
 

 

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Under Control – Cary Brothers (2010)
I discovered Brothers’ first album on eMusic a few years ago and really liked it a lot. This one is at least as good, if not better. Check out “Ghost Town”:
 

 

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Volume Two – She & Him (2010)
More retro pop from Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. I worried that the novelty would wear off and this would disappoint, but it still works. Here is “In The Sun”:
 

 

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Women and Country – Jakob Dylan (2010)
There’s a bit more musically to this album than his largely-acoustic debut, and while I think I prefer the latter, this country-flavored album is quite good in it’s own right. Here’s “Nothing But The Whole Wide World”:
 

 

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Together – The New Pornographers (2010)
You can’t not love “supergroup” The New Pornographers’ brand of power pop. They’re back in form on their newest. Live on Jimmy Fallon, here’s “Crash Years”:
 

 

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Heaven is Whenever – The Hold Steady (2010)
I’ve only managed to listen to it once all the way through since I got it last week, and it did not strike me as being as strong as Stay Positive, but still a solid album. Check out “Hurricane J”:
 

 

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Court Yard Hounds – Court Yard Hounds (2010)
I’ve always shunned ‘country’ music (the big hats frighten me), but albums like this one (by 2/3 of the Dixie Chicks) make me cross over every now and then. Here is “Ain’t No Son”, live from Letterman:
 

 

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Little Vigils – Mark Erelli (2010)
I really love Mark Erelli, and this album (the first of two he’s releasing this year) is no exception. Listen to “Everything in Ruin”:
 

 

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So Runs The World Away – Josh Ritter (2010)
Josh Ritter is simply amazing. This is another must have album. Download it as soon as you finish listening to “Change of Time”:
 

 

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High Violet – The National (2010)
Just got this a couple days ago, and after 2007′s Boxer, I was mildly disappointed in this newest on first listen, but I enjoyed it much more the second time. Here’s “Bloodbuzz Ohio”:
 

 

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Letting Go – Jennifer Knapp (2010)
I’ve always liked Jennifer Knapp and it’s nice to have her back and still at the top of her game. Here’s an acoustic version of “Dive In”:
 

 

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Sea of Cowards – The Dead Weather (2010)
Behold, the newest from one of the creations of Jack White, at whose awesomeness I continue to marvel. Check out “Die by the Drop”:

 

 

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That’s it. That’s the list.

Finally I’m getting around to the new music post I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. I’ve not bought a lot of new music that’s been released in 2010, but here’s most of what I’ve been listening to so far from the new year.
 

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True Believer
Matthew Barber
(2010)

I discovered Canadian singer-songwriter Matthew Barber on eMusic (thanks to Scott‘s suggestion) a couple of years ago, and his last album Ghost Notes almost broke my top 10 for 2008. On his newest, released a couple of weeks ago, Barber again has created a fantastic pop/rock album which, like it’s predecessor, will easily make my list again this year.

Check out “Revolution Of The Sun”.

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Contra
Vampire Weekend
(2010)

After such an excellent debut, I was mildly disappointed when I first listened to Contra. I liked it, of course, but it didn’t grab me right away since there weren’t any songs that immediately stood out (as several on their debut did.) However, after several listens I started to appreciate it for what it is: another outstanding collection that is a bit different from, and yet just as good as, their first.

Check out “Cousins”.

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Transference
Spoon
(2010)

Indie rock band Spoon is nothing if not consistent. This is my fourth album of theirs, and I have yet to be disappointed. Nothing they’ve done has really overwhelmed me, but they continue to put out very good albums. This newest may be my favorite since 2002′s Kill The Moonlight. Like the Vampire Weekend, this one required a little time to grow on me, but it didn’t take long.

Check out “Written In Reverse”.

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End Times
Eels
(2010)

I first heard Eels after Jason‘s recommendation of their 2009 release Hombre Lobo, which I really enjoyed a lot. After a quick turnaround, their newest became available shortly after the new year and I grabbed it right away. It’s a bit more acoustic than it’s predecessor, and lyrically it’s a deeply personal album, often focusing on the breakup of primary band member Mark Oliver Everett’s marriage and his heartache. Another very good album.

Check out “A Line In The Dirt”.

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American VI: Ain’t No Grave
Johnny Cash
(2010)

I only had the first three of Cash’s American series, but couldn’t pass up the sixth installment when it was released. I’ve read mixed reviews of this album, but I absolutely love it. The songs were recorded shortly before he died, and although death is the common theme of the songs, they’re not focused on death itself, but on what comes next. I found this final album to be a great closing chapter to a remarkable career.

Check out “Ain’t No Grave”.

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That’s it. That’s the list.

Here’s a look at some of my new music for the year so far. First are a group of albums (mostly from last year) that I didn’t get around to downloading until December or after the new year.
 

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Strict Joy
The Swell Season
(2009)

After the success of their debut album and, later, the film Once, I wondered if Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová would be able to build on that success or if this album would fall short and disappoint. I had no need to fear, for they very well may have surpassed their previous work together with Strict Joy. Their debut was full of love, but this is more of a “break-up album”. And yet it’s beautiful.

Check out “Fantasy Man”.

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Swoon
Silversun Pickups
(2009)

I checked out Swoon a few months back, but only recently got it while on sale at amazonmp3. Now that I have it, I wish I hadn’t waited so long. Their big sound and fuzzed-up guitars really works for me, and they seem to draw a lot of comparisons to The Smashing Pumpkins (who I admit I’ve never listened to, though I evidently should.) A definite winner, and I’ve officially become a big fan.

Check out “Panic Switch”.

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Horehound
The Dead Weather
(2009)

I’m way late to this party, but I’m also becoming a huge fan of just about anything in which Jack White is involved. Of what I’ve heard from him to date, this collection of bluesy, garage rock is probably my favorite since The White Stripes’ Elephant. It’s not Led Zeppelin, but the comparisons are valid. If you love great rock and roll, you need this album.

Check out “I Cut Like A Buffalo”.

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Broken Boy Soldiers
The Raconteurs
(2006)

Did I mention I’m really digging Jack White of late? Like The Dead Weather, this is another “supergroup” of sorts consisting of Jack White and a few musicians from other bands. While in some ways this is more of the same classic sound from White, it does (for me, at least) fall a bit short of the excellence of Horehound or Elephant. Nevertheless, it’s still a very enjoyable listen.

Check out “Steady, As She Goes”.

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The Mountain
Heartless Bastards
(2009)

This one didn’t blow me away immediately, but one day it just clicked and I realized this is just an outstanding piece of work. They’ve apparently expanded their rock and roll sound since their previous works (which I haven’t heard) to include instruments most common in artists coming out of Nashville (steel guitar, banjo, violin/fiddle, etc.), but do so to great effect. You must hear this.

Check out “Out at Sea”.

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A few others, in brief:

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – Phoenix (2009) – The latest from Phoenix was on a lot of year end lists. It’s definitely an enjoyable pop/rock set, but I have to say that I wasn’t as crazy about it as a lot of other people apparently were.

Get Lucky – Mark Knopfler (2009) – Haven’t listened to anything from Knopfler since Dire Straits in the 80′s (and I was a big fan at the time.) Well, it’s been too long. Good stuff on his newest, and also check out his album with Emmylou Harris from 2006. It’s even better.

Armistice – MUTEMATH (2009) – MUTEMATH’s latest is a very good album, though it took me a few listens to really get into it. I hear their first album was even better, so I intend to check it out as well.

Love Remains – Alice Peacock (2009) – Last year I fell in love with Neko, Dar and Brandi; this year, Alice Peacock. An outstanding folk/rock album (with a little bit of country flavor to it.) A h/t to Freeman for recommending this via his year end list.

Collective Soul (Rabbit) – Collective Soul (2009) – More of the same from CS, but I’ve been a fan since the beginning and continue to love their work.
 

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That’s it. That’s the list.

And, a hat tip to RM for the recommendations of Heartless Bastards and all things Jack White.

In my next post I will take a look at a few new albums released since the new year.

 
Band name trivia: This struck me as funny. According to Erika Wennerstrom, a trivia quiz game at a bar included a multiple choice question asking the name of Tom Petty’s band. One of the incorrect answers was “Tom Petty and the Heartless Bastards.” She thought it was funny, too, and remembered it when she started her band.

I liked the music of Switchfoot in the early days, back when they appeared to be just another “Christian” band. While they always intended just to be a rock band (who happened to be made up of Christians), they ended up with a record deal that primarily placed their first three albums in the Christian music market after their label was bought out by another.

It was the band’s fourth album, 2003′s The Beautiful Letdown, that allowed them to break through to the mainstream and also solidified them as a favorite of mine. It was an outstanding album that remains one of my favorites of the decade, and an album I’ve never expected to see them surpass. Their efforts since have continued to be good, but each one failing to quite live up to the last (an admittedly hard task after the excellence of Letdown.)

Enter their new release Hello Hurricane.

The band had over 80 songs that they eventually whittled down to the 12 that made the album. I don’t know how the others stacked up to the final track list, but I’m pleased with the ones that made the cut.

The album title hints at its “facing the storms of life” thread and Foreman’s lyrics are also sprinkled with love and hope, backed by Switchfoot’s signature sound. The anthemic “Needle and Haystack Life” kicks off the album, which then tears into rockers like “Mess of Me”, “The Sound” and “Bullet Soul”, and tones it down for ballads like “Your Love Is A Song” and “Sing It Out”.

Just as was the case with Letdown, I was unable to find a disappointing song on this album. And this one is also among my favorites of the year. Certainly Switchfoot is not for everyone, and I wouldn’t call them a great band, but I’ve always loved their sound. And though Letdown has always been my favorite, this one may very well be just as good. But I’m not willing to say that. Yet.

Check out “Mess of Me” and “Bullet Soul”:

I can’t believe I’m posting about this album. I really can’t. I didn’t expect to hear it at all, much less be writing about it. I was planning to post about either the new Michael McDermott album from this past summer, or the newest from David Crowder Band. But instead, I felt compelled to write about Sonic Boom, the new album from KISS.

Some background: I was a rabid KISS fan when I was in fourth grade. Back in 1976, KISS was in their prime, and I loved them. I used to listen to my older brother’s 8-tracks of Alive! and Destroyer. That year at Christmas I received my first KISS 8-track of my own, Dressed To Kill, while my brother got their newest, Rock And Roll Over. The following year, I got my second – the new release Love Gun.

For me, I suppose, it was all about the gimmick. Really, that’s what KISS has always been about anyway, hasn’t it? From the beginning until today, they’ve been average musicians and average singers. Sure, they’ve written some catchy songs over the years, particularly in the seventies, but were it not for the makeup and stage show, would they have ever become “the hottest band in the land”? It seems unlikely. It’s doubtful they would have lasted into the eighties, much less still be around thirty years later as they approach retirement age.

But in the seventies, as a nine-year-old, they were happening, baby. The makeup and costumes and fire-breathing and blood-spitting – how cool was that? They even had their own army. During my fourth grade year, myself and three friends performed as KISS during indoor recess at school (sans makeup and costumes, and definitely no fire or blood.) We played KISS albums and air-guitared our way through make-believe concerts as our classmates watched. (I was Paul Stanley, by the way, and the “tour” came to an abrupt end when Paul broke a chair.)

Unfortunately, my love affair with KISS would be short-lived. Within a year after my purchase of Love Gun, a man from our church had been traveling up north, and returned home with some tragic news. Someone at a church he’d attended had tipped him off that KISS was actually an acronym for “Knights In Satan’s Service.” This, of course, was untrue, though nobody knew it at the time. He proceeded to spread this breaking news to the parents at our small church and shortly thereafter, word came down from my parents: the KISS music had to go. I was crestfallen.

I would not hear another KISS album until I was in high school, when Lick It Up was released. I’ve heard many of their albums since the dawn of the eighties, and nothing has really compared to anything from those early days. They’ve released a long list of average (at best) albums, and so many times I’ve thought that they just needed to go away.

That brings us to 2009 and Sonic Boom. As I said, I had no intention of hearing this album, but since so many albums are uploaded to YouTube these days, I took a look and yes, all of the tracks were there. So I checked it out.

I’ve listened to it a number of times now, and it sounds like it could have (and perhaps should have) been the follow-up to Love Gun. It’s probably the best album they’ve done since 1978, although I’m sure that’s debatable among the true KISS faithful. The absence of Ace and Peter is unfortunate, but still, it has a very seventies-KISS feel to it, and most of the songs sound as though they would be right at home on any KISS album from their glory days. I like it. There, I said it. It’s not great, but I like it.

Granted, it’s still average music by average musicians, and the subject matter is the same it always is (because they only write songs about a single subject.) But it is for me a nostalgic album of sorts. Though they would be very far down the list today, KISS was my first “favorite band”, and listening to this album takes me back to the mid-seventies, to my elementary school years, and the genesis of my love of rock and roll. Thirty plus years later, I still love rock and roll, and apparently, I still like a good seventies KISS album.

Here is a live version of “Modern Day Delilah” (avert your eyes from the 60-year-old man repeatedly sticking out his tongue), and “Yes I Know (Nobody’s Perfect)”:

I was introduced to Brand New via eMusic a couple of years ago when I downloaded Deja Entendu. Shortly thereafter, I bought their newest at the time, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, which made an appearance in my top 10 list in 2007.

Their latest, Daisy, was released last month and has quickly become a favorite of mine. And, like it’s predecessor, it is destined for my top 10 list again this year.

It’s hard to nail down a genre to attach to these guys because every time they release a new album, it’s a “brand new” sound, so to speak. The band that recorded this album does not even sound like the same band that released Your Favorite Weapon eight years ago. The difference is rather astounding. They started with a power pop/punk sound, and eight year later are being compared to Nine Inch Nails.

In short, this album is outstanding, again full of their trademark lyrical depth and musical diversity. Each Brand New album I’ve downloaded has had to grow on me a little. It’s always taken a few listens for it to take hold, and this one was no different. But like the others, each listen reveals a little more of the genius of Brand New, and in the case of Daisy, my opinion is that it’s the best they’ve done to date. I thought Devil and God was a great album, but for me, this newest release has surpassed it.

Standout tracks for me include “Bed”, “Bought a Bride”, the title track, these two: the first single, “At The Bottom”, and “Sink”:

I’m going to reach back into the summer again this week. If you know me at all or used to read blog 1.0 very often, you already know of my love for the music of Iron Maiden. I became a Maiden fan during my junior year in high school, shortly after the release of their 1983 album Piece of Mind. They are still, 26 years later, my favorite band.

In early 2008, the band embarked on a world-wide tour labeled the “Somewhere Back In Time” tour, in which they played primarily classics from their 80′s music and used a set similar to the “World Slavery Tour” of 1984-85. On the tour, they traveled via their own custom Boeing 757, flown by none other than lead singer Bruce Dickinson. (Bruce is obviously a trained pilot, who flies charter jets for a British airline, and is therefore the most awesome singer in metal history.) During the first leg of the tour, they managed 23 concerts in 11 countries in only 45 days, including dates in Australia, India, Japan and various countries in the Americas. And during that leg, a film crew accompanied the band in order to chronicle this unique experience. The result – the documentary film Flight 666 – was released to theaters in April of this year.

A few weeks later, in early June, the film was released as a two-disc DVD set. Disc one contains the full-length documentary film, and disc two contains 17 live songs, each from a different location on the tour. The documentary is great, and the live concert disc is equally outstanding, showing that Iron Maiden is still at the top of their game when it comes to performing live. On live DVD’s in recent years, they’ve played many of these classics. They’re the signature Maiden songs that will always be in their set list. But it’s really sweet to see them playing other songs from the 80′s era again, songs that they haven’t played for a long time, such as “Aces High”, “Revelations”, “Powerslave”, “Moonchild” and the 13-minute epic “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, one of my all-time favorite songs.

Maiden has done a lot of great work over the years. The Live After Death concert has always been the gold-standard of Maiden DVD’s, but Flight 666 may now have overtaken it. The combination of documentary of the tour and the live performances are just amazing. In this DVD set, Iron Maiden shows why they’re still the best metal band around.

Here are my two favorite performances from the DVD:

 
“Run To The Hills” from Bogota, Colombia

 
“Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (in two parts) from East Rutherford, NJ, USA

I was a bit surprised upon hearing the new album from The Avett Brothers, I and Love and You. The “Beatles of bluegrass” seemed to be bit less bluegrass and a bit more pop than they been have before. The banjo, acoustic guitar and bass are all still there, but the piano provides the dominant sound on this new release. And the result is a bit different, but outstanding nonetheless.

I first heard The Avett Brothers a couple of years ago upon the release of their last full length album, the excellent Emotionalism. I’ve since downloaded a couple of EP’s (Gleam and The Second Gleam), which were also very, very good. So, I had high expectations for this new release.

There are a handful of songs here that would seem at home on previous albums (“January Wedding” and “Laundry Room” come to mind first), but as I mentioned, this album is largely driven by the piano. From upbeat pop songs like “Slight Figure of Speech” and “Kick Drum Heart”, to ballads like “Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise”, “Ill With Want” and the title track, to the aforementioned songs with their more predictable sound, this is a great album all the way through.

When you have to follow an album like Emotionalism, you’re more than likely going to fail to meet expectations. In a sense, The Avett Brothers did just that, but they did it by reinventing themselves. It was not the album that was expected from these guys, yet it is a terrific album. I highly recommend checking it out.

Here is the title track and “Laundry Room”: