One You May Not Have Heard Of

 So, I remember back when I started this blog I said I was going to be doing some album reviews. So far I've done one. I think another is due. I haven't bought any new albums lately, so I was mentally browsing my collection looking for something that would be interesting. I ended up choosing one that my dad gave to me after winning it at a company golf tournament. The album is called "Holy Dogs" and the band is called Stir. 

 Holy Dogs, which came out in 2000, is the second release from this St. Louis based band. As far as I know it's their last release as well. Their sound can be compared to other 90's pop/rock groups like Collective Soul, Third Eye Blind, Live, etc. If you were a fan of the days that american rockers topped the charts, you'll probably enjoy this album. It's unfortunate that this group never really took off as this album has some strong tracks. I heard from some friends that "New Beginnings" got some radio play when it was released, but it didn't stay in the rotation very long. 

  The band rocks hard on numbers like "Superstation," "New Beginnings," "Stop Killing Me," and the album's title track. "Spaceman," "Grounded," and "Clear" are a little more ballad-esque. Definitely worth a listen. 

---

Now, I just realized that it might be kinda cool if I had some sort of rating system. I think that rather than giving a grade, or a number of stars (guitar picks, bananas, etc.), I'll take a more practical approach and tell you what I'd pay for this album. If you can find Holy Dogs used for less than seven bucks, it would be well worth the purchase. As for the Coldplay album, go to your closest music store, Wal-Mart, or wherever and pay whatever they're asking. 

    

Rockin' the Raintree (or Something)

  This past weekend my band played a little show at the Raintree apartment complex. It was the first time I'd played with a band in front of people since my high school days. We set up right on the grass in the middle of the buildings and under some trees. Luckily, it was a really nice day; warm enough, no chance of rain, still light enough outside, etc. We told people that we were going to start playing at 5 p.m., but we kinda got a late start setting up, so we didn't really get started until after 5:30. It was just as well, though, as we only had our singer's family and my roommate there right at 5. By the time we were ready to play we had a decent sized crowd gathered. I'd say at least thirty people. 

   Right before we started, I started to get a little jittery. It had been a while since I'd played in front of people and I forgot what it felt like. The first song we played was Starlight by Muse. I was on the piano. The drums and bass started it off. Then I came in with the awesome piano riff. The crowd all recognized the song and cheered. Our little show was off to a good start. 

   I won't say it went perfectly. Far from it actually. I made my share of fairly noticeable mistakes and we also had a little bit of interference from Mother Nature (a bee started attacking our singer during one song). The high points of the show were Good by Better Than Ezra, Yellow by Coldplay (I played the lead guitar on that one), and a song our singer Brett wrote called Mr. Lightning. When we'd played all the songs we'd planned on our fans still demanded more. So, we pulled out our old high school prom theme song we wrote so many years ago and tried to shake the dust off of it as we played it for our encore. I was surprised how well I remembered the guitar solo. The former Timpanogos High School students who were there especially enjoyed that one. 

   I had a lot of fun, and we had a lot of girls come up and talk to us afterwards. So, I think we accomplished the purpose of our show: have fun and impress the chicks. I'm kinda hoping we do it again soon. 

The One Below, but Continued

   So, for the whole first song ("My Name is Jonas") the band was in white and Rivers Cuomo had this thing over his head. The first verse of the song was sung by the drummer, the second by the lead guitarist, and I'm pretty sure the bassist took a verse as well. Rivers didn't step to the mike until the very last line, which he sang in Spanish, "Me llamo Yonas." After a couple songs, the band lost the white jumpsuits to reveal matching red track jackets and pants. One of the most prevalent themes of Weezer's new album is that of fame and not wanting to be the typical celebrity. The idea "I'm (gonna) do what I wanna do" (a line from the single "Pork and Beans") was displayed all throughout the show. Rivers walked around the stage waving his arms in a very non-rockstar way, jumped around on the little trampoline with his guitar, let his bandmates sing, played covers and more obscure tracks, and spoke spanish with the audience. It was quite the contrast between the Angels & Airwaves guy who was trying so hard to be cool and Rivers who was just doing whatever he felt like. For the first encore, the band invited a few dozen or so local musicians and their varied instruments to play "Island in the Sun," and "Beverly Hills" with them. Rivers held his microphone to the accordion for the solo on "Island in the Sun" and to an alto sax for "Beverly Hills."  I wished I was up there. All in all it was a really fun show to be at. If you missed it then I'm sorry. 

    

   

Weezer Shows They "Don't Give a Hoot About What You Think" In SLC

   On Monday, October 6th, as I was rushing from the Salt Lake Airport to my class at BYU, I got a text from my sister. She said she had an extra ticket to the Weezer concert. The concert was happening at the E center the following night. The only problem was that I'd have to miss my favorite class taught by my favorite teacher. The decision wasn't a hard one. 

    The first opening act was some local band that wasn't actually on the ticket. They might have been pretty good if their sound was better. The second act was a group called Angels & Airwaves, the latest project from the singer of Blink 182. This guy apparently didn't grow up past 17. The decent light show during their set was the only thing that kept me in my seat. 

    Finally Angels & Airwaves were off the stage and the crew was setting up for Weezer. My sister and I were interested to see a mini trampoline on stage right next to a second drum set. The lights soon went out and the moment we'd endured all the crap for came. 

    Weezer walked on stage all wearing white jumpsuits. And Rivers Cuomo, the lead singer, had some nylon looking thing on his head, hiding everything but his nose and mustache....

  Looks like I'll have to leave it there. I'll finish it later tonight. I'm going to eat some dinner.

Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends

 Well, here it is finally. The review I've been putting off for no good reason except that I dread writing. The purpose of this blog is to get over that. So, here we go: 

  I bought this CD at Best Buy in Homestead, PA the day of its US release (June 17th, 2008). I was in the middle of a typical work day that involved lots of time in the car. Before putting the CD in, I took a look at the cover. I was a little surprised. Not only because of the bare chest on Delacroix's Liberty Leading the Troops, but because of the French Revolution theme. What are we revolting against? (I still haven't figured it out). I was most interested in hearing what the disc contained. 

  The CD opens up with a very electronic, ethereal sample from a Jon Hopkins (co-producer of the album) song. I can just imagine the song happening in the studio. The sample leads into a perfect lead guitar riff. Is that even a guitar? It doesn't sound like any guitar I've heard. After a couple repetitions of the riff, the acoustic guitar comes in and the song builds from there as drums, bass, additional guitars, keyboards, and finally some vocals enter one by one. My heart beat faster as the song played. Involuntarily, my fingers found the volume knob and turned it hard to the right. I reached for the CD case to find out the title, as the song had no lyrics. I had experienced Life in Technicolor, and was now somewhat prepared for the rest of the CD. 

  I had been so impressed by Coldplay's previous release X&Y and wondered how they could make their music any better. I had faith that it would be, I just couldn't figure out how. Well, I wasn't disappointed. Viva La Vida has innovative instrumentation, piano and guitar playing styles, harmonic textures, and even a new vocal style from lead singer Chris Martin (specifically on track 6, Yes). These components are all put together in the amazing way that Coldplay seems to be so capable of. The group's musical influences are less obvious to me on this album as they have been in the past. In short, it doesn't sound like anything I've heard before, but is sure to be imitated by groups in the future. 

  My words aren't sufficient to do the album justice (I'm working on that). Go listen to it yourself. My favorite tracks are Lost!, Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love, and Death and All His Friends.