Michael Jones: "Sowing Season" from The Devil and God are raging inside me. by Brand New
For weeks I'd been staring at this interesting looking cd cover, only to shake my head and decide not to purchase it. I'd never heard of the band, you see, and buying it simply because I thought the cover was interesting... weird, right? Eventually, I caved (the relatively low price helped) and bought it. I'm so glad I did.
The music enwrapped in the artwork has turned out to be one of the best I've heard so far, this year. Dark lyrics, gorgeous melodies that rise and fall at the whim of whatever emotion the song is trying to channel, all serve to make this a complicated and complete album. That's a rare word, these days.
"Sowing Season" starts off with this slow and melancholy give and take with the vocals and a soft guitar melody, only to explode into this heavy crunch of emotion and sound. Sure, there is nothing new about having dynamics in a song, but such things are standards because they truly work when they're done correctly. Brand New, on "Sowing Season," without a doubt, has it down pat. Just a killer opening track to a wonderful album.
Ian Woolstencroft "Innocent Days" from Last of the Runaways by Giant
This is a prime slice of classic 80’s hard rock, all big guitars and big choruses (not to mention big hair). At it's heart is Dann Huff, providing both screeching guitar and emotive vocals.
Picking a track from Giant’s debut wasn’t easy, it’s packed full of great songs but this one kind of summed up my feelings. This album and others like it were the soundtrack to my late teens/early twenties, a time when anything seemed possible. “These are the innocent days” sings Dann Huff and you know what? He was right.
Glen Boyd: "Live At CBGB's New York, NY 08/11/1979" from Wolfgang's Vault by The Patti Smith Group.
Article comments
1 - Mat Brewster
Hmmm, I guess I missed this week. I have no excuse. Although I've pretty much been listening to the same Ryan Adams bootleg as last time, so maybe it's good that I didn't repeat myself.
2 - DJRadiohead
I hear you, Sir Brewster. I didn't have a song that really dominated my listening this past week, so I chose a song that I know I did listen to and went with it.
3 - DJRadiohead
Another "Or Something." moment from Saleski.
I've been hearing of this Amy Winehouse. I'm going to have to hear some of that.
4 - Anna Creech
Mark:
5 - Mark Saleski
heh! thanks anna.
6 - DJRadiohead
Yes, thanks, Anna!