everything that's on my mind

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.

As for upcoming releases…

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.

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.

8 from ’08 edition

Today begins a series of four posts over the next week or so in which I reveal my favorite music of the year. The rules have changed only slightly from last year, as I will explain, but the basic rule is the same – these are the albums I enjoyed and/or listened to the most this past year.

Having acquired so much new music since last year (now at 135 albums), I decided that I would limit my 2009 list to albums released in this calendar year. This is the first time I’ve done that, since I usually include all of my new music since the previous year’s list, regardless of release date. I usually have several albums that were released the previous year but I did not get until late in the year or after the new year.

Despite the fact that I’m eliminating those from my list this year, I still wanted to mention a few that I didn’t get to put on last year’s list, either, but deserve to be on a list somewhere. They were all released in 2008 and were also favorites throughout 2009. Therefore, I couldn’t let them fall through the cracks without a mention.

Here’s my “8 from 08″ (in no particular order):

Balance – Ty Tabor
Long-time King’s X fan, and I continue to love Ty’s solo work. There’s not really anything groundbreaking here; the expected harmonies and outstanding guitar work are present as usual, and it is comparable to his last release, Rock Garden. But I love what he does, and both he and King’s X deserve far more recognition than they’ve ever received. Listen to: “Cause We Believed“, “I’m OK With You”

 
Death Magnetic – Metallica
Metallica rose to prominence in the world of metal during the 80′s, but went off track during the 90′s. Each of their albums released in the last 15 years sucked more than the one it followed. But the good news is that this newest is a fast-paced heavy metal album that has them finally sounding like they’re supposed to again, and it’s about time. Listen to: “All Nightmare Long“, “The Day That Never Comes”

 
Everything That Happens Will Happen Today – David Byrne & Brian Eno
I listened to a little Talking Heads back in the 80’s, but not much. Byrne’s collaboration with Eno, however, is more than worth a listen. It is an excellent album with influences from multiple styles of music (Byrne actually describes it as “folk electronic gospel”.) Check it out – you won’t be disappointed. Listen to: “Life is Long“, “Everything That Happens”

 
Gossip In The Grain – Ray Lamontagne
Folk singer-songwriter Ray Lamontagne has a unique voice. It’s raspy and rough, but also can be very pleasant at times. His emotion and passion shine through on every song. Nearly a year after first hearing it, I still like it a little bit more each time I listen. It’s outstanding and I’ve still not yet grown tired of it. Listen to “You Are The Best Thing“, “Let It Be Me”

 
Promised Land – Dar Williams
I’ve discovered a few female singer-songwriter’s this year that I’ve fallen in love with, and Dar Williams is one of them (see subsequent posts for the others.) She’s a superb storyteller as evidenced by the songs on this album, which I highly recommend. This would have been high on my 2009 list had I kept it in the mix. Listen to: “It’s Alright“, “The Easy Way”

 
Seeing Things – Jakob Dylan
This debut by The Wallflowers front man has been heard on my iPod countless times this year. It’s an acoustic folk/rock album that has been a joy to listen to repeatedly. He’s the son of a legend, but he’s charting his own course as a singer-songwriter and I look forward to things to come. Listen to: “Evil Is Alive And Well“, “Something Good This Way Comes”

 
Songs For You, Truths For Me – James Morrison
I came across this album on an amazonmp3 daily deal one day and took a chance. I think it paid off as I’ve really enjoyed it a lot. He uses his somewhat gruff voice to the fullest and incorporates pop, jazz and blues into his music, with very nice results. I admit that I am still a little surprised by how much I like it. Listen to “The Only Night“, “Please Don’t Stop The Rain”

 
Volume I – She & Him
As I will likely restate in the coming days, I’ve become a huge fan of M. Ward this year, though this collaboration with singer/actress Zooey Deschanel was, for me, more about “she” than “him”. Deschanel wrote most of the songs , which are reminiscent of another era. From the opening bars, I found myself mesmerized by her vocals and I was hooked. Listen to: “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?“, “You Really Got A Hold On Me”

That’s it. That’s the list.

Up next: my honorable mentions of 2009.