Notable new releases today. It's not everything, but it's everything I think you want and need to know about.
David Bowie Reality - Just over a year after Heathen hit stores, Bowie's back with another dose of his recently (once again) re-invented self. (Hey, at least we got a few albums in a row from this persona.) Having successfully shed his largely unsuccessful "industrial" leanings with the dark and introspective, but stilted, Hours . . . , Bowie put out his best work in two decades with 2002's Heathen, so hopes are high that Reality will continue in this vein. Just like with the last album, Bowie's tossed in a couple of covers in the form of Modern Lovers' "Pablo Picasso" and George Harrison's "Try Some, Buy Some," and even upset fans a little bit with the news that the Matrix, production and writing team behind Avril Lavigne hits and Liz Phair's latest offering, had a hand in the new album - fortunately only behind the mixing console and not writing, and possibly only on one song (can't find specifics on this yet.) As I read on the Bowie newsgroup earlier, it's sure to be another great album Bowie fans run out to buy the minute the stores open, listen to three times, then put on the shelf so they can continue obsessing about early 70s Bowie. A shame, too, because if Reality even approaches Heathen in terms of quality, this will be another highlight of his career. (A "Special Edition" comes packed in a digipak with bonus disc containing four more tracks. Be sure and get this, as Heathen's bonus tracks were worth the extra couple dollars.)
A Perfect Circle Thirteenth Step - Second offering from Tool singer Maynard's side-ish project. (Is it really a side project when you release more music in a shorter time period than your main band?) Ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha joins ranks along with ex-Marilyn Manson bassist Jeorie White this time around, as other ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Billy Corgan stole APC's bassist Paz Lanchantin for Zwan - you know Billy, he can't have a band without a cute girl bassist.
Noam Chomsky The Emerging Framework of World Power - More "America is evil" banter from the high-priest of conspiracy theorists and anti-government instigators on this spoken word album recorded a month after 9/11. Should be great fun for the whole family.
The Darkness Permission to Land - England's next big thing is finally released in the US. They're going to save rock n' roll, yada yada yada. You've heard it before. Now's our chance to see if they're right, or just overreacting . . . again.
Article comments
1 - The Theory
score yourself a copy of the blind boys of alabama's new c-mas cd. pretty hotttt stuff.
2 - BRICKLAYER
Brother, I will be hooking up with the new Thursday, and Perfect Circle. And maybe the new Bubba Sparxxx..."Let's be honest, most of us will never date a model..."
3 - Craig Lyndall
I already have the MP3's for the A Perfect Circle album, and I am going to buy it today. I always wonder if there are some more anal collectors out there who can't live without the artwork and packaging.
I am also picking up the new Thursday album. They did a good job keeping that one under wraps. I was unable to find a leak of that one anywhere.
4 - The Theory
*The Theory... is listening to the Blind Boys of Alabama cd RIGHT THIS MOMENT and it blows both A Perfect Circle and Thursday OUT OF THE WATER*
5 - BRICKLAYER
Oh yeah, and maybe the new DMX, too. Where's my dawgs at?
6 - Dew
DMX - Grand Champ
Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance
Erykah Badu - Worldwide Underground
7 - Tom Johnson
Theory, are you going to give us a review of the Blind Boys? I have their last album, Higher Ground, and it's great. I'd love to hear your more expanded opinion . . .
Craig, there are certainly more "anal" collectors out there who can't live without the artwork - I'm one! To me, music is more than just the sound - it's the glossy artwork, liner notes, lyrics . . . it's an experience to me.
I think someone, maybe Mr. Brick a while back in the comments of another post the smell of tapes back in the day, mentioned and that's something I used to absolutely love. CDs today don't seem to have that much of a smell, but new cassettes back then had a strong odor of printing inks (I think?) and some companies' products smelled really sweet while others were rather rancid. Some of the music was too, but that's another story . . .
8 - Tom Johnson
I feel a fool: I somehow overlooked a whole butt-load of releases in the form of Bob Dylan's SACD hybrid remasters. Doh!
9 - Eric Olsen
Tom, I think at this point in the 21st century, you can go ahead and not hyphenate buttload.
10 - Tom Johnson
Maybe I should have just said "a loaded-butt's worth of releases."
11 - Eric Olsen
Actually it was just a dumb joke - hyphenate as you see fit.
12 - Tom Johnson
Eric, I think "a loaded-butt's worth of releases" has a certain ring to it, and far outshines the much overused "buttload/butt-load" as a statement of impact. I suggest we all use it from now on.
13 - Pet
A Perfect Cirlce has never been a side project - The band members have said that from the beginning.
14 - Tom Johnson
Whatever Maynard wants to call it, A Perfect Circle is not the band most people associate him with, therefore, anything he works on outside of Tool is a "side-project." Seriously, learn to recognize humor. It will help you later in life.