In light of the horror that took place at Virginia Tech, it seems ludicrous to talk excitedly about new music coming out this week, but I suppose that's part of being human and moving on. We just have to deal and get back to real life, and part of real life is finding things to enjoy.
Obviously, I wasn't there, and not many of us were, but those of us with children, even those of us with very young children like me with my precious 19 month old daughter, are automatically transported there for just a moment in imagining ourselves in that situation, with our children on that campus, in those rooms, with that madman stalking them with his weapons. It doesn't take much to worry a parent.
As much as I keep the victims in mind, I also keep their families in mind and how they deal with the sudden, completely unexpected and horrible loss to a complete asshole who felt he was somehow bigger and better than everyone else. I cannot imagine their pain.
But we deal with tragedies by getting back to normal life, and normal life with me is music.
Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero: Reportedly the first of a two-part set (the second part coming sometime next year, from what I understand,) this concept album tells about a government conspiracy to cover up some kind of nation-wide water-poisoning, or something like that. It's very complex - as I'm sure many of you have seen by now, there are tons of websites connected to this album that have bits and pieces of the mystery embedded in them. It's pretty fascinating if you're into such things, and if you're not, well, luckily the music is getting good reviews.
Michael Penn - Palms & Runes, Tarot & Tea: A Michael Penn Collection: I've always found something slightly lacking about Penn's albums as a whole, but I've liked a whole lot of his individual songs. The brother to actor Sean Penn is a superior singer-songwriter with a distinctive voice, both vocally - and lyrically-speaking, and this set pulls together a far more cohesive album than one might expect from such a wide-range of years (1989-2007). It doesn't hurt that many of the tracks are alternate takes or brand new recordings of old tracks, but even 1989's hit "No Myth" manages to not stick out like a sore thumb, blending in with the newer tracks to make a fantastic album experience.
Article comments
1 - Mat Brewster
Apparently the NIN disk changes colors too.
2 - Mark Saleski
Prezens is superb. a review is currently being fermented.
3 - Tom Johnson
Mat: I've been seeing comments about that. I wonder if it's a mood disc? ;-)
I gave Prezens a first full-spin this morning and completely agree - it absolutely lives up to expectations and fits in well with Tripping Over God and What Means Solid, Traveller?
4 - Mark Saleski
a mood disc?
woa, that's goin' back some.
does that mean he's going to release this on 8-track too?
5 - Tom Johnson
I guess it has a heat-sensitive surface. Normally it's black, but after spending time with your CD player's laser, it comes out tan, revealing a bunch of text and code that you can use to help unravel parts of the mystery of the album's storyline. Like Amy Winehouse, it eventually goes Back To Black.
6 - Mark Saleski
i have to get a copy just for that. haven't bought anything of his since Pretty Hate Machine. i like the industrial part of the music but the nonstop rage is kind of boring after a while.
mmmm....Amy Winehouse.
7 - Tom Johnson
It is a mood disc! It's so warm here in Arizona that the copy I just got was a medium-brown, so I just stuck it in the fridge for a moment to turn it black. I pulled it out and put my finger on it and within a few moments, I had a finger-tip sized spot of tan! So, unfortunately, if you live where it's warm, you may not see this magical disc do its trick until you happen to get it some place very cool. Just a few minutes later and mine's already back to medium brown again, and I can see all the "secret" codes and such. Right now, however, it's much more sensitive to heat - I can actually leave perfectly clear fingerprints on the darker surfaces. Neat.
8 - Pico
I simply must get Prezens.
9 - Mark Saleski
yes, pico...you must! (review coming out later today)
10 - Carrie
Just saw Michael Penn play live at Iota. No Myth was well worth the wait. Tight band. Great live show. Opener well worth checking out AM, who has a song Losing You that will break your heart.