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When I'm Dead... Kid Rock Live [Edited] [2/14] *
 

When I'm Dead... Kid Rock Live [Edited] [2/14] *

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When I'm Dead... Kid Rock Live [Edited] [2/14] *
"Live Trucker [Edited] [PA]" (02/28/2006) Rock & Pop Kid Rock, Atlantic (USA)Personnel: Kid Rock (vocals, guitars, keyboards, drums, turntables); Uncle Kracker (vocals, turntables); Joe C (vocals); Jason Krause, Kenny Olson (guitars); R. Smith Curry (pedal steel guitar, dobro); Jimmie Bones (harmonica, keyboards, background vocals); Aaron Julison (electric bass, background vocals); Mike Bradford (electric bass); Stefanie Eulinberg (drums, background vocals); Freddie "Paradime" Beaureguard (turntables, background vocals); Karen Newman, Laura Creamer (background vocals). The sticker on Kid Rock's 2006 LIVE TRUCKER CD warns that the disc includes no bonus tracks, exclusive footage, or remixes, so fans of the Kid that are hungry for new and unreleased material might be disappointed. Yet with the help of his Twisted Brown Trucker Band and a wildly enthusiastic crowd, the Kid lays down his particular brand of "hick-hop" with plenty of honky tonk ferocity and b-boy swagger. "Son of Detroit," "American Bad Ass," and "Picture," a duet with Gretchen Wilson, are only some of the highlights of this live set. Kid Rock may have styled his first live album, Live Trucker, after Bob Seger's classic Live Bullet, paying homage to the artwork right down to the typeface and also choosing to record in his hometown of Detroit, but if Live Bullet caught Seger on the rise, Live Trucker catches Kid on his decline. This isn't a hard-driving, sweaty rock & roll record; this is a Vegas revue, all glam and glitz, with its heart in showbiz. Of course, Kid Rock has always had his tongue planted firmly in his cheek when he went about his self-mythologizing, particularly on his still potent and funny 1998 breakthrough, Devil Without a Cause, but on this live effort recorded largely in August 2004, his joking has turned into inadvertent self-parody. This wasn't the case on his eponymous 2003 effort, which may not have set the charts on fire, but it did capture him in good form, where his rough and rowdy ways still seemed roguishly charming. Here, it's possible to hear the toll that all the partying has taken on him: he sounds hoarse and winded, and when he trades lines with his keyboardist, it seems as if it's because he doesn't have the energy to finish the song, not because it makes for a better show. And while the Twisted Brown Trucker Band sound tight, they also sound too slick, never really giving this white trash rock & roll the grit that it needs. Of course, the album isn't helped by its ridiculously front-loaded sequencing, where "Bawitadaba," "Cowboy," and "Devil Without a Cause" follow back to back in the first four tracks, and his next biggest hit, "Picture" (here performed with Gretchen Wilson, not Sheryl Crow), also appears in the first half of the record; with the exception of "Only God Knows Why," the second half consists largely of new material, or lesser-known hits. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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We Don't Need To Whisper [Edited] [5/23]
 

We Don't Need To Whisper [Edited] [5/23]

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We Don't Need To Whisper [Edited] [5/23]
"We Don't Need to Whisper [Edited]" (05/23/2006) Rock & Pop Angels & Airwaves, Geffen Records (USA)Angels & Airwaves: Tom DeLonge (vocals, guitar); David Kennedy (guitar); Ryan Sinn (bass guitar); Atom Willard (drums). Guitarist Tom DeLonge's post-Blink-182 band Angels & Airwaves' 2006 debut album is an attractive blend of shimmering electronica and alternative rock, conjuring the glory days of 1980s pop with shiny, anthemic songs like the album-opening "Valkyrie Missile" and the stomping stadium rock of "Distraction." WE DON'T NEED TO WHISPER also revives the dormant notion of the concept album, with several songs taken from a projected film based on episodes from DeLonge's life. Think U2 without the messianic overtones, with a hint of Genesis thrown in for good measure. How do you know that former blink-182 leader Tom DeLonge intends for his post-blink project Angels and Airwaves to be taken seriously? Because throughout their debut album, We Don't Need to Whisper, he relies on sounds and textures borrowed from 1988, the era when college rock was filled with atmospheric sonics and earnest politics. Specifically, he layers delayed guitars ripped from U2 over soundscapes equally inspired by the Cure, New Order, Peter Gabriel, and The Unforgettable Fire, all in an attempt to fashion a modern-day protest record. Lord knows it's an admirable break from his juvenile past, but good intentions don't necessarily make for good music, as We Don't Need to Whisper makes abundantly clear. DeLonge's main problem is that by relying on '80s college rock as his template, he's fallen into a lot of traps that have made albums of that era sound hopelessly dated: overlong intros, lasting upward of 90 seconds; formless songs that never seem to peak, only drift; cold keyboards that work a factory preset too heavily; an over-reliance on delay pedals, not just on the guitars (which never once sound like anybody other than the Edge), but on the keyboards, which has the unfortunate side effect of making the somber "Distraction" sound like an homage to Paul McCartney's gleefully moronic "Wonderful Christmas Time." That's not the only unintentional chuckle here -- DeLonge's thin, nasal voice cuts against the moody murk of his band, as if he were a little kid recording over his big brother's music. It also doesn't help that his screeds about war, society, and life are overly written, with words piling on top of each other in free-form song structures that tend to collapse under the weight of his ambition. Since DeLonge was starting to edge toward an interesting fusion of dark post-punk, tuneful pop-punk, and mature concerns on the last blink-182 album, such an over-reach is a disappointment, but it is understandable; it's a classic case of post-breakup indulgence. It may not make for a successful record, but it does make for an interesting one, particularly in how DeLonge's desire to be taken seriously has led him to use the serious music of his adolescence as a signifier that he's serious now, but We Don't Need to Whisper is too doggedly dour and amorphous to be more than a curiosity. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine How do you know that former blink-182 leader Tom DeLonge intends for his post-blink project Angels and Airwaves to be taken seriously? Because throughout their debut album, We Don't Need to Whisper, he relies on sounds and textures borrowed from 1988, the era when college rock was filled with atmospheric sonics and earnest politics. Specifically, he layers delayed guitars ripped from U2 over soundscapes equally inspired by the Cure, New Order, Peter Gabriel, and The Unforgettable Fire, all in an attempt to fashion a modern-day protest record. The result might be less than successful, but it is interesting, particularly in how DeLonge's desire to be taken seriously has led him to use the serious music of his adolescence as a signifier that he's serious now. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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Collision Course [Edited] [11/30] *
 

Collision Course [Edited] [11/30] *

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Collision Course [Edited] [11/30] *
"Collision Course [Edited]" (11/30/2004) Heavy Metal Jay-Z, Warner Bros. Records (Record Label)Package includes bonus DVD. This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Jay-Z: Jay-Z (rap vocals); Mike Shinoda (vocals, piano); Chester Bennington (vocals); Brad Delson (guitars); Phoenix (bass guitar); Robert Bourdon (drums); Joseph Hahn (sampler). Mash-ups -- two songs stuck together that were never meant to be stuck together -- have their roots in the bedrooms and basements of computer-savvy music geeks who spend countless hours sticking Christina Aguilera's vocals over the Strokes' chugging backbeat or Missy Elliott's raps over George Michael, Joy Division, the Cure, and about a thousand others. MP3s were the medium of choice, white-label 12"s a distant second. It seemed like it was time to put a fork in the pranky genre when collections like The Best Bootlegs in the World Ever and Soulwax's As Heard on Radio Soulwax series exposed the mash-up to a wider audience, but then Danger Mouse came along. His headline-making Grey Album -- Jay-Z's Black Album vs. the Beatles' White Album -- inspired a ton of spirited imitations, and most likely the MTV-spawned, artists-involved Collision Course. The fact that the artists are involved with the project totally goes against the mash-up philosophy, but luckily Linkin Park -- who are revealed through the DVD as the main architects of the EP -- have that pop-loving prankster spirit and don't let their high-profile, well-funded life ruin it. The liner notes talk of a "once-in-a-lifetime performance" and "music history," but Collision Course is just plain old fun and all the better because of it. Jay-Z's "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" sits nicely on top of Linkin Park's "Lying from You" on the CD's studio version, but it's the fist-pumping live version on the DVD that really justifies Collision Course's existence. The Z-man -- who's "retired" from the rap game while being busier than ever -- has had his excellent "99 Problems" rocked up before, so the version here with Linkin Park's "Points of Authority" and "One Step Closer" isn't so much the revelation the liner-note hyperbole makes it out to be, but it's got an awesome beat and you can still dance to it. If the CD were released on its own, the collection wouldn't be as exciting. Linkin Park's genuine excitement about the project on the "behind the scenes" segment of the DVD is infectious, and watching the furious and fast teaming of "Jigga What/Faint" teeter on the edge of falling apart is gripping. Check the DVD first, and then throw the CD in the car for when you feel half-mack, half-punk. It's doubtful mash-ups will survive corporate handling this well again, and to paraphrase a post-show Linkin Parker, Collision Course is awesomely fun. ~ David Jeffries In keeping with rap-rock crossovers dating back to Aerosmith and Run-DMC, MTV used its ULTIMATE MASH-UPS show to put Jay-Z and Linking Park on one stage. The result is COLLISION COURSE, a combination DVD/CD package that crystallizes the meeting of New York City's Jay-Z with California rap-rockers Linkin Park. With LP MC/vocalist Mike Shinoda doing double-duty as the EP's producer, the results flow nicely over six tracks. Jay-Z's rapid-fire rhymes in "Jigga What" fit hand-in-glove amid the pounding guitars and howls of Linkin Park's "Faint." And the Jackson 5-sampling "Izzo" ducks and feints in a way that makes it a nearly seamless match with "In the End." Most impressive is how Jay-Z's seminal thumper "99 Problems" boldly wedges itself between the thunderous bookends of Linkin Park's "Points of Authority" and "One Step Closer." The audio portion, of course, is only part of the fun; the DVD features the entire live performance, along with a documentary on the MTV special and behind-the-scenes footage.

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St. Anger [Edited] by Metallica (CD - 06/05/2003)
 

St. Anger [Edited] by Metallica (CD - 06/05/2003)

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St. Anger [Edited] by Metallica (CD - 06/05/2003)
"St. Anger [Edited]" (06/05/2003) Rock & Pop Metallica, Elektra EntertainmentThis is a Hyper CD, which contains both regular tracks and also provides a link to the artist's website with the help of a web browser. Metallica: James Hetfield (vocals, guitar); Kirk Hammett (guitar); Rob Trujillo (bass); Lars Ulrich (drums). Additional personnel: Bob Rock (bass). Recorded at HQ, San Rafael, California between May 2002 and April 2003. "St. Anger" won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. This is a Hyper CD, which contains regular audio tracks and also provides a link to the artist's website with the help of a web browser. Metallica's first new material in over five years arrived after a flurry of non-musical activity that included a much-publicized spat over Internet file sharing, the departure of bassist Jason Newsted, and a lengthy stay in rehab for James Hetfield that suspended the recording of a new album indefinitely. Hetfield returned to the fold in late 2001. Still without a bass player, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and their newly sober frontman recruited longtime producer Bob Rock to man Newsted's spot, and creation of the album commenced in May 2002. St. Anger arrived a year later as a punishing, unflinching document of internal struggle -- taking listeners inside the bruised yet vital body of Metallica, but ultimately revealing the alternately torturous and defiant demons that wrestle inside Hetfield's brain. St. Anger is an immediate record. Written largely in the first person, it never warns of impending doom, doesn't struggle with claustrophobia, and has care neither for religion's safety nor its hypocrisy. (The religious symbolism of its title and artwork seems only to function as a metaphorical device.) Lacking the heavy metal baggage of these past themes, Metallica is left to ponder only itself and its singer's psychosis, and delivers its diagnosis on slabs of speed metal informed with years of innovation and texture. The record exists as it ends. As the lockstep thrash of the eight-plus minute "All Within My Hands" tumbles toward its final gasp, Hetfield is explicit in his aims. "I will only let you breathe my air that you receive," he seethes. "Then we'll see if I let you love me." Ulrich's drums sputter in fits and starts, but the guitars are already dying, shutting down as Hetfield stabs at the microphone. "Kill kill kill kill kill," he screams, and you have to check the wall for a splatter radius. It's a brutal, ugly end to an album that switches on like a bare light bulb in an underground cave. It blasts each corner with harsh, unfiltered light for 75 minutes, until the bulb is shattered with a combat boot, leaving disquieting after-images exploding on the backs of your eyelids. "Frantic" is driven forth by a snare drum that just may be made of iron, Hammett and Hetfield's guitars eschewing separate parts in favor of a roaring tag-team approach. A hint of the band's mid-'90s nod to alternative drifts in during a bridge, but it's quickly swallowed alive by the song's muscular groove, never to be heard from again. "St. Anger," the single, marks the first appearance of a vocal technique that lurks in the shadows throughout the album. As Hetfield groans, "I feel my world shake/It's hard to see clear," he seems manipulated by an unseen force, flickering like bad reception. It's unsettling, and startlingly effective. Hetfield's psyche is on trial throughout, and though he often expresses confusion and anger over his struggle ("Some Kind of Monster" and especially "Dirty Window," in which he becomes both judge and jury), the mechanistic rhythms of the band seem to give him strength. "Shoot Me Again" -- another seven-minute epic -- becomes Hetfield's sneering answer to himself. It lurches into gear, juxtaposing a deceptively soothing verse with a dirty guitar line that explodes in the song's titular money shot. The resonating cymbal cracks during its stops and starts are particularly satisfying, as you can imagine the members of Metallica facing each other in a circle, jamming the song's jagged melody down the throat of a solitary microphone. (The image comes to life in St. Ang

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Back To Bedlam [Edited] [10/4]
 

Back To Bedlam [Edited] [10/4]

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Back To Bedlam [Edited] [10/4]
"Back to Bedlam [Edited]" (10/04/2005) Rock & Pop Blunt, James, Atlantic (USA)Personnel: James Blunt (vocals, various instruments); Mike Tarantino (guitar); Mr. Nau (Wurlitzer piano); S. Krivstov (bass instrument); C. Paxton (drums). Soulful British crooner James Blunt's wistful debut infuses the listener -- in order -- with rainy-day hope, the wistful comfort of unattainable love, and finally, world-weary resignation. While his parched and effeminate falsetto recalls Gasoline Alley-era Rod Stewart with a healthy dose of Antony and the Johnsons, it's the late Elliott Smith who casts the largest shadow on Back to Bedlam. Predictable but effective four-chord guitar motifs are the chosen vehicle for the ex-Royal Armed Forces soldier, and when they connect ("Wiseman," "Goodbye My Lover," "You Are Beautiful"), it's like a "Dear John" letter from a lover who you know will remain a close but ultimately guarded friend. Opening track "High" sets a determined midtempo pace that rarely wanes -- it's like an acoustic version of "Drive" by the Cars with a Coldplay chorus. It's a pace that would sink some records, but Bedlam's perfectly rendered, under 40-minute run time ensures that the listener doesn't suffer from a melancholy overdose. Blunt recounts his harrowing experiences as part of the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo on the closer, "No Bravery," and it's a shock to hear all of the romantic lyricism that informed Bedlam up to this point reduced to "Old men kneel and accept their fate/Wives and daughters cut and raped/A generation drenched in hate," but it's damn effective -- as is the majority of this fine debut. ~ James Christopher Monger James Blunt is a former Royal Air Force soldier who saw active combat during the NATO mission in Kosovo, an experience detailed in his debut album's harrowing closer, "No Bravery." Judging from the rest of BACK TO BEDLAM, he's also in the market to become either a one-man Coldplay or a more commercially acceptable version of Elliott Smith. A collection of midtempo ballads based around Blunt's acoustic guitar and piano and his high, reedy voice, BACK TO BEDLAM is tailor made for a generation of sensitive college girls and their frat-boy boyfriends. Blunt shares Smith's knack for pretty mopery and self-destructive tendencies (several songs, most obviously the opening "High," tacitly romanticize drug use), as well as Coldplay's talent for decorating simple melodies with effective production tricks. Tracks like the UK smash "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover" are backhanded anti-love songs that suggest Elvis Costello's lyrical wit, and add a little bite to this otherwise radio-ready set of tunes.

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Extreme Behavior [Edited] [9/27]
 

Extreme Behavior [Edited] [9/27]

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Extreme Behavior [Edited] [9/27]
"Extreme Behavior [Clean] [Edited]" (09/27/2005) Rock & Pop Hinder, Universal DistributionPersonnel: Mark King (vocals, guitar, piano); Austin Winkler, Mike Rodden (vocals); Brian Howes (guitar, keyboards); Robin Diaz (drums). Audio Mixer: Randy Staub . Recording information: The Armoury, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Editor: Misha Rajaratnam. Photographer: Emily Shur. Released in September 2005, Hinder's Extreme Behavior revives the riffs and misogynistic tone of 2001 albums from Puddle of Mudd and Nickelback for a whole new batch of undergrads. This isn't so much post-grunge as it is straight-up dude rock. The artwork is a triggered response collage of lingerie and J?ger, and the music blares like a stereo left on in the keg room, all swear words and electric guitar blab. Hinder singer Austin Winkler is a stand-in for Nickelback's Chad Kroeger, and his lyrics? Like the chorus of lead single "Get Stoned" that asserts sex is better when the participants are angry and high, Winkler doesn't show a lot of class on Behavior. Hinder do try a little tenderness here and there. They sound like a heavier Wallflowers on "Nothin' Good About Goodbye," and "Lips of an Angel" carries the power ballad torch complete with a soaring solo stolen from hair metal's golden era. "Homecoming Queen" is another take on the good-girl-tarnished-by-big-bad-L.A. story; it's also a pretty obvious rewrite of Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine." For the most part, Hinder are all about big dumb rock, the kind of stuff that's happily ignorant of common courtesy or trying much of anything new musically. ~ Johnny Loftus Released in September 2005, Hinder's Extreme Behavior revives the simpleton riffs and stupid misogyny of 2001 albums from Puddle of Mudd and Nickelback for a whole new batch of undergrads. This isn't even post-grunge -- it's straight-up dude rock. The artwork is a triggered response collage of boobs, lingerie, and J?ger, and the music is so obvious that it actually recedes from the ear. Like a stereo left on in the keg room, it's just a chatter of swear words and tuneless electric guitar blab. Austin Winkler sounds like a drunk shouting along with Chad Kroeger, and his lyrics? "Let's go home and get stoned/Cause the sex is so much better when you're mad," "She said she's sorry/With one finger/I said fuck that," "She said she loved the taste of my oh oh oh" -- Winkler doesn't even have enough class to fake sounding cool. When Hinder and producer Brian Howes (he co-wrote every song with the band; Nickelback producer Joey Moi also gets a credit) do try a little tenderness, they sound like a bludgeoned Wallflowers ("Nothin' Good About Goodbye"), thudding power ballad torchbearers ("Lips of an Angel"; cue the soaring solo stolen from hair metal), or bumbling Guns N' Roses thieves (the played-out "Sweet Child" rewrite "Homecoming Queen"). Extreme Behavior can't even make it as rote hard rock -- it's too insulting to women and your intelligence. That's why it's dude rock instead. Hinder are so egregiously dull they appeal not to fans of music, but fans of high fives. ~ Johnny Loftus It's unclear precisely which definition of their name Hinder prefer: "to impede progress" or "the outdated midwestern slang term for the buttocks." Both fit, because Hinder is an unapologetic throwback to the post-Guns 'n' Roses era of hard rock, when dudes like Poison and Motley Crue ditched their glam look in favor of a grungier "street" vibe and a tougher-edged sound. Their unapologetically smirking lyrics teeter right on the brink of outright sexism throughout songs like "Get Stoned" and "Homecoming Queen." As with the Darkness, part of the fun of EXTREME BEHAVIOR is that it's impossible to tell how seriously it's supposed to be taken. Released in September 2005, Hinder's Extreme Behavior revives the riffs and misogynistic tone of 2001 albums from Puddle of Mudd and Nickelback for a whole new batch of undergrads. This isn't so much post-grunge as it is straight-up dude rock. The artwork is a triggered response collage of lingerie and J?ger, and the music blares like a stereo left on in the keg room, all swear words and electric guitar blab. Hind

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Stop All the World Now [Special Edition] [Limited] [Slipcase] by Howie Day (CD - 11/16/2004)
 

Stop All the World Now [Special Edition] ...

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Stop All the World Now [Special Edition] [Limited] [Slipcase] by Howie Day (CD - 11/16/2004)
"Stop All the World Now [Special Edition] [Limited] [Slipcase]" (11/16/2004) Rock & Pop Day, Howie, Epic (USA)Personnel: Howie Day (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano); Howie Day; Leslie Hall (guitar, tamboura, piano, harmonium, organ, Wurlitzer organ, Mellotron, synthesizer, vibraphone); Les Hall (guitar, piano, Wurlitzer piano, harmonium, Mellotron, synthesizer, vibraphone, tambour); James Clifford, J. Clifford (guitar, background vocals); Simon Jones (bass guitar); Gareth Jones (programming); Laurie Jenkins (drums, percussion); Mark Heaney (drums). Audio Mixers: Clive Goddard; Chris Lord-Alge; Michael Brauer. Recording information: Olympic Studios, London, England. Photographers: Adam Howe; Jake Chessum; Spencer Heyfron; Greg Waterman. Howie Day's debut certainly showed promise, especially in the understated heartbreak of "Ghost" and "Morning After." But even in its eventual Sony reissue, Australia was a slapdash, often obvious album that rang with the stubbornness of youth. In his songs of relationships and loneliness, Day was too often the spurned boyfriend rewriting Radiohead and Badly Drawn Boy songs to air his grievances down at the local open-mic night. Given his principal influences, it's not surprising that Day recorded his sophomore effort in London. But he seems to have grown up quite a bit since Australia, and with the help of Verve and James producer Youth, made Stop All the World Now his great leap forward. He'll never outrun comparisons to wide-eyed romantics like Francis Healy and Richard Ashcroft. But instead of simply copping moves, Day has captured the formless yet boundless emotion that's the spiritual motor for both Ashcroft's solo work and Travis' The Man Who. Lyrically, "Brace Yourself" and "Trouble in Here" aren't as specific in their aims; unlike Australia, they never make the listener feel like the she-devil that trampled poor Howie's heart. Their big, beautiful arrangements embrace his voice, which soars into fluttering, higher registers, but also grates with real, pleading grit toward the end of "Brace Yourself." Echoing electric guitars recall Day's effects-laden 2002 tour, which found him performing over his own multiply looped self. But the presence of piano, harmonium, vibraphone, and the London Session Orchestra (most notably on "I'll Take You On") often suggest Bacharach with swelling strings and lilting verses; there's even a sample of what sounds like crashing waves at one point, pulling out all the stops in the production department. All of this lets you know that Stop isn't simply an acoustic troubadour album. But if you needed more proof, there's "She Says." Originally one of Australia's strongest moments, the song's acoustic frame is here bowed out by a full-on arrangement of keening strings, steadily building drums, and enough reverb to fill the Grand Canyon. "When she says she wants someone to love/Hope you know/She doesn't mean you" was always one of his strongest couplets; with the triumphant guitars and surging violins behind it, the track now has the full grandeur of U2's most plaintive moments. The best part? Day has figured out how to sell the emotion as his own, even if the hymns of his heroes still echo through his music. ~ Johnny Loftus Though his first indie LP was subsequently reissued on Epic, this is Howie Day's first full-length album for a major label. If it's a bit less quirky than his previous MADRIGALS EP, it's also more confident-sounding and not quite as precious. Not that Day has abandoned his gentle, Coldplay-meets-Jeff Buckley folk-rock sound. It's simply that STOP ALL THE WORLD NOW, produced by Killing Joke bassist Youth, evens out Day's style a bit. The soaring, angelic falsetto is frequently accompanied by ascending dynamics and some forthright electric guitar backing. No one's going to mistake songs like the vibraphone-laden lazy-Sunday ballad "I'll Take You On" (from whose lyrics this album's title is drawn) for the Strokes or anything, but fans of the poppier side of Britpop might just take a fancy to this emotive singer-songwriter's modestly rocking mood music. Howie Day's debut certainly showed promise, especially in the understated heartbreak of "Ghost" and

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Foiled [CD & DVD] [3/14] *
 

Foiled [CD & DVD] [3/14] *

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Foiled [CD & DVD] [3/14] *
"Foiled" (04/04/2006) Rock & Pop Blue October, Universal DistributionThis is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Blue October: Justin Furstenfeld (vocals); CB Hudson (guitar); Ryan Delahoussaye (violin); Matt Noveskey (bass guitar); Jeremy Furstenfeld (drums). Texas outfit Blue October have been gaining notoriety since the late 1990s with their brand of eclectic alt rock. 2006's FOILED builds on the band's past accomplishments, and represents one of their most focused and ambitious efforts. "Hate Me," the album's first single, shows that Blue October are no strangers to catchy, radio-ready songcraft, a quality that helps endear the group to many. Yet Blue October are admirably restless, and seldom rely on formula. FOILED also ranges from subtle and introspective numbers ("18th Floor Balcony") to edgy hard rockers ("Drilled a Wire Through My Cheek") to electro-dance ("X Amount of Words"), making for a rock album with dimension, polish, and substance. Three years since Blue October's last studio album, Foiled keeps true to the eclectic mix of passionately delivered post-grunge that has built the band a core of loyal fans over the years. And while it's this eclectic quality that allows Blue October to sneak successful singles to the top of modern rock charts, the somewhat challenging nature of their music is also what seems to keep them from really staying in the mainstream spotlight. After all, many of the same people who would eat up the soaring "Hate Me" -- which was gathering considerable momentum on radio before Foiled's release -- might not comprehend the rest of the album compared to their copies of the latest from Nickelback and Alter Bridge. They may enjoy the up and down nature -- from introspective brooding to straightforward rock -- that appears on "What If We Could," but the album's highlights come in the moments when the band doesn't rely on in-your-face tactics to get its point across. The often desolate and anguished nature of Justin Furstenfeld's lyrics complement his aching voice, which still comes off as a self-aware, less pious Ed Kowalczyk, along with Ryan Delahoussaye's affecting violin. As such, while "Hate Me" is the catchy, more formulaic song of the album, his distraught confrontation of the personal selfishness that apparently ruined a past love makes the song work beyond radio accessibility. Sheesh, every jilted girlfriend of a messed-up relationship should be so lucky as to have a remorseful guy outwardly admit sentiments like "Kicking shadows on the street for every mistake that I had made/And like a baby boy I never was a man." The dark "Drilled a Wire Through My Cheek" explores Furstenfeld's somewhat split personality with a crunchy rap/rock chorus that contrasts the funk guitar of calmer, introspective sections. On the lighter side, "Everlasting Friend" is a warmly executed, piano-laced delight that hints, along with the intimate "18th Floor Balcony," that the often broken frontman still holds hope close. Things get a little hairy, however, on the deviating "X Amount of Words." A New Order-ish techno beat leads the song's delivery into realms similar to -- no, seriously -- Ciara's "Goodies" with occasional background vocals appearing with a likeness to Linkin Park's Chester Bennington; but at least the sheer weirdness of the song makes it admittedly fun. Overall, Foiled is a multifaceted effort that delivers more than History for Sale and, thus, should delight fans with its arrival. Whether or not the mainstream is now ready for Blue October has yet to be determined. ~ Corey Apar

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Dancing With Daggers by Magneta Lane (CD - 04/04/2006)
 

Dancing With Daggers by Magneta Lane (CD - ...

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Dancing With Daggers by Magneta Lane (CD - 04/04/2006)
"Dancing With Daggers" (04/04/2006) Rock & Pop Magneta Lane, Universal DistributionMagneta Lane: Lexi (vocals, guitar); French (bass guitar); Nadia (drums). Indie rock girl group Magneta Lane could very well be a modern day version of the Shangri-Las. They have the sass appeal and chops to match the intensity of their debut album, Dancing with Daggers. In 2006, pulling off an original and sincere rock sound is a difficult task. Sure, this is only Magneta Lane's first studio full-length album, but their debut EP already proved that they would be taken seriously. There is absolutely no room for skepticism. Produced by MSTRKRT (Death From Above 1979 bassist Jesse F. Keeler and Al-P, the duo zeroes in on Magneta Lane's fiery presentation; Lexi Valentine's sultry vocals and brash guitar style are tailored to Nadia King's bumptious drum rolls and French's creeping bass lines. Each song is snappy, playful, and stylish, and that's what makes Dancing with Daggers work so well. Magneta Lane do not go over the top. They keep things clean in the midst of daydreaming about the mystical and the magical--dreams of European fiestas ("Carnival in Spain"), cheating on love for the sake of fame ("Artistic Condition,") and looking into life's crystal ball ("Secrets Aren't So Bad.") Even the album's artwork portrays a mysterious, Victorian era-influenced sense of space and time, complete with Magneta Lane in colorful corsets and ruffles while rich reds and pinks dress the album's background. The album's debut single, an anthemic gunslinger entitled "Broken Plates," gallops in with blazing guitars, once again supporting Magneta Lane's earnest effort in making an interesting and entertaining rock sound. They lead the pack of new millennium girl groups while giving their male counterparts some fierce competition. Magneta Lane is YOUR band--smart and sexy like old Hollywood, and rebellious and surefire like classic punk rock. Don't let your subliminal self miss out on this brassy kind of rock & roll. ~ MacKenzie Wilson

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Past, Present & Future [Edited] by Rob Zombie (CD - 09/23/2003)
 

Past, Present & Future [Edited] by Rob Zombie ...

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Past, Present & Future [Edited] by Rob Zombie (CD - 09/23/2003)
"Past, Present & Future [Edited]" (09/23/2003) Rock & Pop Zombie, Rob, Geffen Records (USA)This release includes a bonus DVD. Personnel includes: Rob Zombie, Iggy Pop, Lionel Richie, Trina, Alice Cooper, Howard Stern (vocals); White Zombie. Proudcers include: Andy Wallce, Biyan Carlstrom, Terry Dale, White Zombie, Charlie Clouser. This release includes a bonus DVD. Personnel includes: Rob Zombie, Iggy Pop, Lionel Richie, Trina, Alice Cooper, Howard Stern (vocals); White Zombie. Producers include: Andy Wallce, Biyan Carlstrom, Terry Dale, White Zombie, Charlie Clouser. Past, Present & Future is the first-ever Rob Zombie retrospective. The collection is steeped both visually and aurally in the scary monsters, sexy women, and schlock horror images that have always adorned Zombie's death's-head calling card; from a strictly musical standpoint, his turgid industrial sludge and beyond-the-grave vocals benefit greatly from the set's liberal editing. That's because Zombie has always had one fabulously filthy gear, and his pedal is always scraping the metal; Past's 19 tracks simply streamline his career's death race into one satisfying 2000-mile straightaway. "Thunder Kiss '65," "Dragula," and the incredible, impossible, wonderfully stupid "More Human Than Human" attack the eardrums with toxic vengeance; collaborations with Alice Cooper and Howard Stern approach the proto-industrial grind of KMFDM; and kooky covers of "I'm Your Boogieman" and "Brickhouse" run the originals' disco beat through a freaky fun house filled with lurid porn samples and booty-shaking bottom end. (The latter track even pulls poor Lionel Richie into a duet with Rob and raunchy Trick Daddy prot?g?e Trina). "Pussy Liquor" is just dumb, but again, you have to be amazed at Zombie's ability to get away -- and even do well with -- such stupidity. After all, behind the dreads, monster makeup, and platform boots, Zombie is a likeable, talented creative with a flair for reinvention. Like so much of his source material, his work isn't meant for deep contemplation -- only chomping-at-the-bit consumption. That's why he can make it sound like he invented the word "Yeah!" In addition to its host of past guilty pleasures, Past, Present & Future includes two previously unreleased songs and a DVD with ten Zombie-directed music videos, three of them never before seen. Never known for his humbleness, Zombie also designed the accompanying full-color, 36-page booklet, which includes a bizarre photo timeline in which the Astrocreep seems to age 50 years in less than 20. ~ Johnny Loftus Rob Zombie has aptly carried the torch lit by the shock-rock pioneers of the 1970s. Sporting a vocal style that bellows (think Chuck Billy of Testament) and razor-cuts (think James Hetfield of Metallica), Zombie possesses a creepy yet futuristic swagger seldom seen in hard rock music. PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE is an education in the legacy of the once-struggling, underground New York City musician (whose interests and projects have since branched into many other forms of entertainment). Unfolding chronologically, the set reviews highlights from his band White Zombie first. Not surprisingly, "Thunder Kiss '65" and "Black Sunshine" have maintained a powerful raw edge; clearly this band was pioneering nu metal before the sub-genre even had a tag. The collection shifts focus to Zombie's solo material, with many notable moments, including "Dragula" (named for the car made famous on THE MUNSTERS), and a fresh interpretation of the Ramones classic "Blitzkrieg Bop." For the completist, PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE is rounded out by two previously unreleased tracks.

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Greatest Hits [Edited] [11/1] *
 

Greatest Hits [Edited] [11/1] *

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Greatest Hits [Edited] [11/1] *
"Greatest Hits [Edited]" (11/01/2005) Rock & Pop blink-182, Geffen Records (USA)blink-182: Tom DeLonge (vocals, guitar); Mark Hoppus (bass guitar); Scott "Mad Dog" Raynor, Travis Barker (drums). First rule of greatest-hits albums: start things off with a bang, not a song that takes about a minute to get off the ground, and about 80 seconds before the vocals kick in. "Carousel" may be a chronologically accurate way to begin blink-182's Greatest Hits, yet it gets things off to a slow start -- but then again, blink-182 hardly sped out of the gate themselves. It took them a long time to get up to speed -- it wasn't until their third album, 1997's Dude Ranch, that they developed a flair for sugary pop hooks, as evidenced by that album's "Dammit," not just their first big hit, but their first memorable song. It was enough to buy them a ticket to the big leagues and their next album, 1999's Enema of the State, turned into a blockbuster, thanks to the crossover Top Ten hit "All the Small Things," an incessantly catchy, irresistible slice of bubblegum-pop that sounded at ease sandwiched between *NSYNC and Britney Spears on Y2K radio. This, as Greatest Hits proves, was both blink-182's blessing and curse: they had the ability to turn out some great pop singles, but when they missed the mark, they sounded lightweight and disposable. This wasn't just true of their defiantly stupid party songs, of which there were many; even such brooding, angst-ridden teenage melodramas as "Adam's Song" seem a little lightweight and transient. Of course, the band was helped neither by its crystal-clear, super-slick production -- which was the antithesis of punk -- or by the thin, whiny edge of vocalists Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge -- which tended to make even serious themes seem like frivolous adolescent concerns. Over the long run, these two factors tend to undercut whatever snotty charms blink-182 may have had, particularly because their writing tended to be hit or miss, to the extent that even this Greatest Hits is uneven. It may have all their best songs -- "Dammit" and "All the Small Things" in particular, plus "Josie," "What's My Age Again?," "The Rock Show," and "Stay Together for the Kids" -- but at 17 songs, including the previously unreleased "Not Now" and a cover of the Only Ones' "Another Girl Another Planet" taken from the MTV reality series starring drummer Travis Barker and his Playmate wife, this runs a little long. It may have all their charting singles, but its generous length tends to highlight blink-182's weaknesses instead of their strengths. That said, the group did set the standard for pop-punk's commercialization at the turn of the millennium, and not only were they better than the sound-alikes that followed, they did have some good tunes, all of which are best heard on this intermittently entertaining collection. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine In early 2005, SoCal pop-punk act Blink 182 announced that it was going on "indefinite hiatus," and this 17-track retrospective followed later that year. The disc charts the trio's career in chronological order, beginning with their early work (recorded before drummer Travis Barker joined), including the revved-up "Dammit," which first revealed the band's teen-friendly, pop-minded potential. Blink 182 really hit a winning streak when it gained the fierce drumming of Barker and the potent production of Jerry Finn, a point proven by the exuberant "What's My Age Again?" and the sing-songy anthem "All the Small Things." Rounding out GREATEST HITS are two non-album songs, the propulsive "Not Now" and a solid cover of the Only Ones' "Another Girl Another Planet," a tune used for Barker's own reality-TV show.

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Sleeping In The Nothing [Edited] [6/7] *
 

Sleeping In The Nothing [Edited] [6/7] *

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Sleeping In The Nothing [Edited] [6/7] *
"Sleeping in the Nothing [Edited]" (06/07/2005) Rock & Pop Osbourne, Kelly, Sanctuary (USA)This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Personnel: Kelly Osbourne (vocals); Alephonsine DeChambure (spoken vocals); Linda Perry (various instruments, programming); Marc Jameson (drum programming). Kelly Osbourne's debut, Shut Up -- later retitled Changes upon its 2003 reissue -- arrived in 2002 in the thick of punk-pop's popularity in the early 2000s and it reflected the sound of the times. Three years later, Osbourne returned with her follow-up, Sleeping in the Nothing, and it sounded nothing like Shut Up/Changes, but like that debut, it reflected its times: it spurned punk revival for new wave revival. So, as the pop culture of the new millennium lives a quarter century in the past, Osbourne rides the wave, drafting L.A.'s favorite collaborator of the last five years, Ms. Linda Perry -- who struck it big with Pink, Xtina Aguilera, and Gwen Stefani, not so big with Courtney Love, Lisa Marie Presley, and Fischerspooner -- as writer, producer, chief collaborator, and overall musical director. Kelly and Perry pull out all the stops on Sleeping in the Nothing, stopping at nothing to re-create the robotic pulse and computer gloss of the early '80s. Perry plays and programs nearly every note on the album herself, piling on layers of echoed guitars and cold synths over drum machine loops. Apart from the slick, seamless Pro Tools production, there's not much here that makes it sound modern, even if it does sound contemporary in its '80s fetishization, and while that's admirable, even fun, at first, as the record reaches its midway point it starts to bog down because it succeeds in its re-creation of Reagan-era pop just a little bit too well. It has a handful of glitzy, catchy singles in "One Word," "Redlight," and "Suburbia," but they're surrounded by songs that first skate by on their surface sheen, but start to seem awkward, clumsy, and repetitive. Worst of all, the album no longer sounds like a sexy new romantic tribute, it starts sounding like the lumbering mainstream pop that tried to adapt new wave production techniques -- in other words, the anti-date rape anthem "Don't Touch Me While I'm Sleeping" sounds disarmingly like Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone," and it's not the only cut here to have the sterile, bombastic sound of the mid-'80s. While this kind of electronic overkill is a logical end result of a conscious aping of '80s records -- if you try so hard to re-create a sound, you're almost bound to fall into the same traps as your predecessors -- it's kind of shocking to hear the de-evolution of a retro craze within the course of one record. But that's what makes Sleeping in the Nothing a more interesting record than Kelly's first album and more interesting than a lot of the retro-'80s cluttering the pop culture landscape in 2005 -- it may be flawed, but it's a microcosm of the new wave revival, in all of its glories and absurdities. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine A quick look at photo of Kelly Osbourne adorning the back cover of SLEEPING IN THE NOTHING will undoubtedly draw its share of double takes. The sneering, fuchsia-topped faux-punk look Osbourne was best known for is replaced by a sleeker, more sophisticated gun-metal-black bob complete with designer duds. Her music underwent an equally radical transformation. The aggressive pop-punk of her 2002 debut SHUT UP is displaced by Human League-like synth-driven dance music on SLEEPING. Credit producer Linda Perry, who pushed Osbourne to write about recent personal tribulations and hone her vocal phrasing. The strident vocal style endemic to the Osbourne's more aggressive prior output has been replaced by a smoother croon that brings to mind Berlin's Terri Nunn. As a result, songs touching on the singer's pre-rehab struggles ("Save Me") and familial strains ("One Word") are adorned by synth swooshes and echoey guitar tones that conjure up images of The Pet Shop Boys and the Psychedelic Furs. The only time Osbourne resorts to her prior singing style is on the understandably vituperative date-rape screed "Don't Touch Me W

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Pray For The Soul Of Betty
 

Pray For The Soul Of Betty

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Pray For The Soul Of Betty
"Pray for the Soul of Betty [Clean] [Edited]" (05/10/2005) Rock & Pop Maroulis, Constantine, Koch Records (USA)Constantine Maroulis: Constantine Maroulis; Joao Joya (guitar); Taylor C.R. (bass instrument); Hamboussi (drums). Personnel: Constantine Maroulis (vocals). Audio Mixers: Charlie Gambetta; Michael Barlie; Phil Painson. Recording information: Betty Studios, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY; Purple Light Studios, Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY. Arranger: Pray for the Soul of Betty. It's no surprise that Pray for the Soul of Betty languished in obscurity until their lead singer, Constantine Maroulis, became a finalist on the 2005 season of American Idol: they are the quintessential local band. They have a terrible, terrible name, a penchant for bad, photocopied, black-and-white artwork, and crank out plodding, generic hard rock. Koch's rush-released eponymous debut album -- which very well may just be a demo tape packaged as an actual record, but it doesn't mean this is Come on Pilgrim by any means -- proves all this in a rather excruciatingly dull fashion. Anybody expecting either a glimpse of a rock star in the making or an American Idol novelty record will be sorely disappointed, since Pray for the Soul of Betty is merely a boring collection of churning, affected grunge made ten years too late by a group of poseurs. Like any local band desperate to make an impression, they front-load the album with their most memorable songs -- that is, the fastest ones and the ones with hooks -- then change the pace for a slow-building ballad halfway through, throw in a cut with varied tempo to showcase their musicality; they show their attitude by having not one but two song titles with profanities. They let their songs drift on far too long and the whole turgid mess is given a muddy, muddled production that is a chore to hear from beginning to end, even if the record is short at 41 minutes. It's not just that Pray for the Soul of Betty is a bad band, it's that Pray for the Soul of Betty is a bad record of a bad band, not even containing an ounce of the charisma Constantine oozed on American Idol. No wonder he bailed on the band the second he had a chance: anybody who hears this record could tell that the band was already at a dead end. With any luck, Constantine will stay far away from his old bandmates and pursue other musical directions. Anything would be better than another record of this. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine When Constantine Maroulis first appeared on the 2005 season of AMERICAN IDOL, camera crews followed the singer to band rehearsal, where he informed his mates in Pray for the Soul of Betty of his intentions to enter the competition. Drummer Hamboussi was none too pleased, storming out in a fit of anger. No doubt the stickman was singing a different tune when, after Maroulis achieved TV superstardom, the New York City group's debut album (recorded before the show) reached the Billboard charts. Fans of Constantine's lounge-lizard/teen-heartthrob IDOL persona may be shocked at the nature of his band's music. Neo-grunge with a gritty NYC edge, the group sounds closer to the dark, de-tuned riffery of Soundgarden than to David Cassidy (who Constantine covered on IDOL). "Some of My ****** Up World" is driven by a thudding drum beat and Alice in Chains-like vocals, while "Cut the Cord" is sludge rock of the most Sabbath-y sort. Really only "Cry" gives a hint of the Constantine to come, with Maroulis exploring his high register with an emotional wail a la Jeff Buckley. A solid record that revels in heavy rock, PRAY FOR THE SOUL OF BETTY reveals a previously unseen side of the AMERICAN IDOL phenomenon. It's no surprise that Pray for the Soul of Betty languished in obscurity until their lead singer, Constantine Maroulis, became a finalist on the 2005 season of American Idol: they are the quintessential local band. They have a terrible, terrible name, a penchant for bad, photocopied, black-and-white artwork, and crank out plodding, generic hard rock. Koch's rush-released eponymous debut album -- which very well may just be a demo tape packaged as an actual record, but it doesn't mean this is Come on Pilgrim by any means -- proves all this in a ra

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Deals on Edited music cds in Rock & Pop Music. Visit BizRate to find the best deals on Rock & Pop Music. See which Music stores have the Edited music cds that you want. Read reviews on Music merchants and buy with confidence. Find savings on Queens to Eden [Edited] * by Eve to Adam (CD - 06/19/2007) - S&M [Edited] [Edited] by Metallica (CD - 11/23/1999).