Armed to the Teeth.
Music post. Up up and awaaaaaaay!
*It's the 24th, which means Coachella is 3 days away. I don't think I've ever been this excited for a concert or music festival that I wasn't going to. But just the fact that Rage is playing again is enough to make me convulse with glee. I know it's dangerous to speculate as only bad things can happen when things don't live up to your expectations. But I really feel like a full-on reunion is likely. Take a look at the timeline. First, they announce a reunion for Coachella, which many believed would be a one-off show. Then, they add more shows for later in the summer. Then, Audioslave disbands, freeing up any and all engagements for Tim and Brad. It seems like all this is funneling toward a return Rage Against the Machine full time. If it does happen, I actually don't expect it to happen this year. They've already announced that after their Rock The Bells festival performance in New York (that I'm going to try my absolute damndest to be in attendance for) there won't be any more Rage concerts for the rest of the year (which itself I take on a positive note, saying that next year is a possibility). Plus, Tom has his Nightwatchman gig to plug for the next couple months. So, I'll obviously keep a close eye on the situation, as well as getting the Nightwatchman CD that Tom just released today. The puzzle pieces seem to be connecting, so just say two words, guys ... We're. Back. ... Which would be followed by two more words... New. Album.
*Speaking of new albums, got some good ones coming up within the next month and a half. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is dropping their 4th album, Baby 81, on the 1st of May. I've followed this band ever since their early days, and I'm excited to see what they do. They've already kicked out the rollicking fuzz and disortion blast of British-garage-indie (a very exclusive genre, I know). Their last album, like I stated, completely obsolved that in turn for a more acoustic folk-blues style; a style that they pulled off equally as well. I'm not sure what to expect from their new album, but if their lead single "Weapon of Choice" is any indication, it's going to be a happy medium between the garage-indie and folk-blues they've captured in previous efforts. If that's the case, this may be my new favorite album of their's. But I'll give a full synopsis when I hear it. White Stripes are releasing their new disc Icky Thump on June 19th. Just like BRMC, the Stripes' last album was a huge offset from their typical raw distortion-loud noises style. So what are we to expect from the new CD? Is it the unkempt garage smash rock we've known to grow and love? Or will it be a continuation of their eclectic piano, marimba, timpani theme? After reading a review on NME.com, it looks like it's the former, with the magazine stating that Jack White seemingly found his guitar and distortion pedal again, using such artful euphamisms as "thrash metal cousin of 'Seven Nation Army'", "'My Doorbell' gone desert rock", and "mentalist heavy metal mariachi brass band". Interesting stuff. Also being released on the 19th of June is the new Queens of the Stone Age record, Era Vulgaris. Unlike the other two bands, QotSA's last record wasn't exactly a change of their style, necessarily. While it didn't fall flat, it didn't live up to my expectations, personally. I'm hoping this new record returns to the rollicking "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" days with ample distortion, popping melodies, and the good stuff that made them known. Looking forward to all of the new albums coming this year.
*But one that I'm not looking forward to exactly? Zeitgeist. When Billy Corgan took out the full page ad in the Chicago Tribune two years ago stating that he wanted his band back, and that a Smashing Pumpkins reunion was possibly in the works, I remember grinning ear to ear at the possibility. Now staring at the glimpse of what this "reunion" is, the grin is barely there. I'm only going to acknowledge this album and any other future efforts as the New Pumpkins. I know Billy Corgan has an oversized ego, but I think it's daft to think that he was the entire band, because he wasn't even close. Jimmy is awesome, but honestly, how do you account for James' and D'arcy's absence? Well, the latter was easily accounted for when she left the band in 99 with Melissa Auf Der Maur replacing. But honestly, no James? I'm sorry, but this will not be the Smashing Pumpkins. That ship has sailed. If you wanted your band back, Billy, then why don't you actually have your band? I will give this new album a try, but like I said, this is New Pumpkins, not Smashing Pumpkins in my book.
*This music post would've included a review of the new album from Tom Morello under his aformentioned Nightwatchman alter ego, One Man Revolution. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I saw the album for sale at FYE, but for a stout price of $19.99, I decided to pass. I love Tom and his music to death, but 20 bucks is entirely too steep for one CD. While at work, I came to the conclusion that Target didn't have it in their section, but that's not a surprise. What was a surprise was that Best Buy right next door also didn't carry the album. This was only the second or third time Best Buy has failed to deliver a new album I was looking for. So I'm slightly upset by this lack of new-wave acoustic folk rebellion in my ears. But that shall be remedied soon enough.
*Well, I finally bought Led Zeppelin's last studio album, In Through the Out Door. I've heard the horror stories about it's un-Zeppelin-ness. Hell, I've even heard it called the St. Anger of Led Zeppelin. After listening to it a number of times, I don't cast it down to astronomically bad proportions like that. Is it Zeppelin's best? Absolutely not. Actually, I will agree that it is probably their worst. But is it bad necessarily? Hell no. The songs are pretty jaunty and head-bobbing. Maybe the fact that they are no where near Zeppelin's potential is what gets people on it. But I think I pinpointed the issue. The entire album is way too keyboard/synth based. Led's forte has always been Jimmy Page. And they essentially put him in the backseat for the 7-song duration. The only times he gets to bust loose, "In the Evening" and "Carouselambra", even then he's buried by a layer of synth. Again, that doesn't make for bad songs necessarily. I've always been an advocate for "In the Evening" as one of Zeppelin's most underrated tunes. "South Bound Suarez" and "Fool in the Rain" are piano jangling jaunts that get the fingers a-snappin'. And, I know I shouldn't be, but I'm absolutely hooked to the carnival comes to town meets garage rock genre epic "Carouselambra". The carousel-esque synth line with Jimmy Page's guitarline and John Bonham being a beast on set, plus Robert Plant being Robert Plant, it's probably the apex of the entire album. It does drag out at a lofty 10-minutes, but it's still a great piece. All in all, In Through the Out Door isn't necessarily a bad couple songs. But when applied to it being from Led Zeppelin, that depreciates it a little bit more.
*I kind of wish that new music was interesting to me. Kind of, but not really. I'm starting to feel like an elitist, which was something I didn't want to become. A fucking know-it-all, yes, but elitist, no. I'm fine and content living in my 90s alternative/grunge scene and scoff at the idea of all these dumbshit new bands. And I'd give them all a chance, but ... they're all dumbshit new bands. The "newest" band that I like, in terms of when they reached "the scene", is a tie between Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin, both of whom hit in 2003. Meaning in the last 4 years, there hasn't been a new band that has been a hit on my radar. But to be fair, in the last 4 years, we've seen pop-punk grow that much more annoying, a ridiculous rebirth of new age (fuck you, Killers), and the current trend which is all these "indie" bands trying to "out-indie" each other. Ugh. I've given it a go, and I've found approximately 0 bands worthy of my attention. Silversun Pickups. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Scissor Sisters. Arctic Monkeys. Kaiser Chiefs. Arcade Fire. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Wolfmother. They've all gotten the big thumbs down from me. It's cliche to say that music sucks nowadays. But now that I say it, it's more sad realization than crude way to insult your favorite band. It's all been done. Isn't there anyone out there who has a fresh new sound that DOESN'T suck?
[Edit: Now that I think about it, Velvet Revolver came out in 2004, and I do have a flair for Army of Anyone who came out last year. But seriously, they can't count as they had my interest from their days with STP, GNR, and Filter all respectively, so they didn't really have to work hard for my attention.]
*Do you know what I came to the realization of the other day? We're less than 3 years away from closing out this decade, and there hasn't been a super band take over the entire rock world yet. Every decade has had at least one. Hell, every decade has at least two. You go all the way back to the 50s with Little Richard, James Brown, et. al. The legends. The 60s belonged to the Beatles, Cream, The Who. The 70s definitely belonged to Led Zeppelin. The 80s gave call to Aerosmith, Metallica, Guns n' Roses, and all those hair metal legends (I mean the real legends, not the panty-waste wannabes). The 90s had the grunge boom; Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam. Who exactly emerged during the 00's as the predominant representative of the rock world for the decade? Who actually used the entire decade to build thier career into superstardom in rock n' roll excess? There hasn't been one at all. The closest one I can think of is System of a Down. Even then, that's stretching it a bit much. They've definitely extended their reputation into the hierarchy of rock bands, but no where near as elite as any of the other so-called kings of the rock decades before them. This could be the saddest decade of music in rock history. And I don't mean that just because we had to suffer through emo, though that certainly is a good reason.
That is all.
*It's the 24th, which means Coachella is 3 days away. I don't think I've ever been this excited for a concert or music festival that I wasn't going to. But just the fact that Rage is playing again is enough to make me convulse with glee. I know it's dangerous to speculate as only bad things can happen when things don't live up to your expectations. But I really feel like a full-on reunion is likely. Take a look at the timeline. First, they announce a reunion for Coachella, which many believed would be a one-off show. Then, they add more shows for later in the summer. Then, Audioslave disbands, freeing up any and all engagements for Tim and Brad. It seems like all this is funneling toward a return Rage Against the Machine full time. If it does happen, I actually don't expect it to happen this year. They've already announced that after their Rock The Bells festival performance in New York (that I'm going to try my absolute damndest to be in attendance for) there won't be any more Rage concerts for the rest of the year (which itself I take on a positive note, saying that next year is a possibility). Plus, Tom has his Nightwatchman gig to plug for the next couple months. So, I'll obviously keep a close eye on the situation, as well as getting the Nightwatchman CD that Tom just released today. The puzzle pieces seem to be connecting, so just say two words, guys ... We're. Back. ... Which would be followed by two more words... New. Album.
*Speaking of new albums, got some good ones coming up within the next month and a half. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is dropping their 4th album, Baby 81, on the 1st of May. I've followed this band ever since their early days, and I'm excited to see what they do. They've already kicked out the rollicking fuzz and disortion blast of British-garage-indie (a very exclusive genre, I know). Their last album, like I stated, completely obsolved that in turn for a more acoustic folk-blues style; a style that they pulled off equally as well. I'm not sure what to expect from their new album, but if their lead single "Weapon of Choice" is any indication, it's going to be a happy medium between the garage-indie and folk-blues they've captured in previous efforts. If that's the case, this may be my new favorite album of their's. But I'll give a full synopsis when I hear it. White Stripes are releasing their new disc Icky Thump on June 19th. Just like BRMC, the Stripes' last album was a huge offset from their typical raw distortion-loud noises style. So what are we to expect from the new CD? Is it the unkempt garage smash rock we've known to grow and love? Or will it be a continuation of their eclectic piano, marimba, timpani theme? After reading a review on NME.com, it looks like it's the former, with the magazine stating that Jack White seemingly found his guitar and distortion pedal again, using such artful euphamisms as "thrash metal cousin of 'Seven Nation Army'", "'My Doorbell' gone desert rock", and "mentalist heavy metal mariachi brass band". Interesting stuff. Also being released on the 19th of June is the new Queens of the Stone Age record, Era Vulgaris. Unlike the other two bands, QotSA's last record wasn't exactly a change of their style, necessarily. While it didn't fall flat, it didn't live up to my expectations, personally. I'm hoping this new record returns to the rollicking "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" days with ample distortion, popping melodies, and the good stuff that made them known. Looking forward to all of the new albums coming this year.
*But one that I'm not looking forward to exactly? Zeitgeist. When Billy Corgan took out the full page ad in the Chicago Tribune two years ago stating that he wanted his band back, and that a Smashing Pumpkins reunion was possibly in the works, I remember grinning ear to ear at the possibility. Now staring at the glimpse of what this "reunion" is, the grin is barely there. I'm only going to acknowledge this album and any other future efforts as the New Pumpkins. I know Billy Corgan has an oversized ego, but I think it's daft to think that he was the entire band, because he wasn't even close. Jimmy is awesome, but honestly, how do you account for James' and D'arcy's absence? Well, the latter was easily accounted for when she left the band in 99 with Melissa Auf Der Maur replacing. But honestly, no James? I'm sorry, but this will not be the Smashing Pumpkins. That ship has sailed. If you wanted your band back, Billy, then why don't you actually have your band? I will give this new album a try, but like I said, this is New Pumpkins, not Smashing Pumpkins in my book.
*This music post would've included a review of the new album from Tom Morello under his aformentioned Nightwatchman alter ego, One Man Revolution. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I saw the album for sale at FYE, but for a stout price of $19.99, I decided to pass. I love Tom and his music to death, but 20 bucks is entirely too steep for one CD. While at work, I came to the conclusion that Target didn't have it in their section, but that's not a surprise. What was a surprise was that Best Buy right next door also didn't carry the album. This was only the second or third time Best Buy has failed to deliver a new album I was looking for. So I'm slightly upset by this lack of new-wave acoustic folk rebellion in my ears. But that shall be remedied soon enough.
*Well, I finally bought Led Zeppelin's last studio album, In Through the Out Door. I've heard the horror stories about it's un-Zeppelin-ness. Hell, I've even heard it called the St. Anger of Led Zeppelin. After listening to it a number of times, I don't cast it down to astronomically bad proportions like that. Is it Zeppelin's best? Absolutely not. Actually, I will agree that it is probably their worst. But is it bad necessarily? Hell no. The songs are pretty jaunty and head-bobbing. Maybe the fact that they are no where near Zeppelin's potential is what gets people on it. But I think I pinpointed the issue. The entire album is way too keyboard/synth based. Led's forte has always been Jimmy Page. And they essentially put him in the backseat for the 7-song duration. The only times he gets to bust loose, "In the Evening" and "Carouselambra", even then he's buried by a layer of synth. Again, that doesn't make for bad songs necessarily. I've always been an advocate for "In the Evening" as one of Zeppelin's most underrated tunes. "South Bound Suarez" and "Fool in the Rain" are piano jangling jaunts that get the fingers a-snappin'. And, I know I shouldn't be, but I'm absolutely hooked to the carnival comes to town meets garage rock genre epic "Carouselambra". The carousel-esque synth line with Jimmy Page's guitarline and John Bonham being a beast on set, plus Robert Plant being Robert Plant, it's probably the apex of the entire album. It does drag out at a lofty 10-minutes, but it's still a great piece. All in all, In Through the Out Door isn't necessarily a bad couple songs. But when applied to it being from Led Zeppelin, that depreciates it a little bit more.
*I kind of wish that new music was interesting to me. Kind of, but not really. I'm starting to feel like an elitist, which was something I didn't want to become. A fucking know-it-all, yes, but elitist, no. I'm fine and content living in my 90s alternative/grunge scene and scoff at the idea of all these dumbshit new bands. And I'd give them all a chance, but ... they're all dumbshit new bands. The "newest" band that I like, in terms of when they reached "the scene", is a tie between Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin, both of whom hit in 2003. Meaning in the last 4 years, there hasn't been a new band that has been a hit on my radar. But to be fair, in the last 4 years, we've seen pop-punk grow that much more annoying, a ridiculous rebirth of new age (fuck you, Killers), and the current trend which is all these "indie" bands trying to "out-indie" each other. Ugh. I've given it a go, and I've found approximately 0 bands worthy of my attention. Silversun Pickups. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Scissor Sisters. Arctic Monkeys. Kaiser Chiefs. Arcade Fire. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Wolfmother. They've all gotten the big thumbs down from me. It's cliche to say that music sucks nowadays. But now that I say it, it's more sad realization than crude way to insult your favorite band. It's all been done. Isn't there anyone out there who has a fresh new sound that DOESN'T suck?
[Edit: Now that I think about it, Velvet Revolver came out in 2004, and I do have a flair for Army of Anyone who came out last year. But seriously, they can't count as they had my interest from their days with STP, GNR, and Filter all respectively, so they didn't really have to work hard for my attention.]
*Do you know what I came to the realization of the other day? We're less than 3 years away from closing out this decade, and there hasn't been a super band take over the entire rock world yet. Every decade has had at least one. Hell, every decade has at least two. You go all the way back to the 50s with Little Richard, James Brown, et. al. The legends. The 60s belonged to the Beatles, Cream, The Who. The 70s definitely belonged to Led Zeppelin. The 80s gave call to Aerosmith, Metallica, Guns n' Roses, and all those hair metal legends (I mean the real legends, not the panty-waste wannabes). The 90s had the grunge boom; Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam. Who exactly emerged during the 00's as the predominant representative of the rock world for the decade? Who actually used the entire decade to build thier career into superstardom in rock n' roll excess? There hasn't been one at all. The closest one I can think of is System of a Down. Even then, that's stretching it a bit much. They've definitely extended their reputation into the hierarchy of rock bands, but no where near as elite as any of the other so-called kings of the rock decades before them. This could be the saddest decade of music in rock history. And I don't mean that just because we had to suffer through emo, though that certainly is a good reason.
That is all.