CerebralDebris

I don’t normally post a lot about music on this blog because I’m way too old and boring to be on the cutting edge anymore (if, indeed, I ever was … which is questionable). Also I’m really picky so it’s rare that I find more than one album at a time that I really dig. Also the current trend in popular music is toward more indie / low production-value sounds, and I am a much bigger fan of high production values – lots of instrument tracks, lots of mixing, lots of engineering, crazy prog-rock song structures, and so forth. If Tool, Faith No More, and ’92-era Smashing Pumpkins all got together and made some kind of super album, I’d probably be the first in line to buy it. I might also be the last in line to buy it … but I digress.

All that said, I currently have three albums that I’m basically listening to, one after another, over and over, which is probably driving my lovely wife insane. Here’s a list. I linked the album names to amazon.com mp3 downloads, but it should be noted that I don’t really care where you buy them from since I don’t have any affiliate programs or any of that crap set up. :)

Swoon by Silversun Pickups

I have to admit, I first heard of these guys through a Bill Simmons chat on ESPN, but I really enjoyed their EP and their first album. They’ve matured very well, and Swoon is definitely the best thing they’ve put out so far. Just about every song is great, and their music is growing more complex in its musical and rhythmic structure. If you forced me to choose between these three albums, and never listen to the other two again, I would probably choose this one … even though I don’t think it’s the best of the three. Just happens to be my favorite in terms of style and sound. These guys are still a pretty young band, but they’re really coming into their own. I’m excited to wear this album into the ground, and I hope to catch them on tour (I saw them after Carnavas came out, and it was a pretty fun show).

Burn Burn by Our Lady Peace

These guys just haven’t been the same since their original guitarist left. Since then they’ve gravitated more and more toward safe, mainstream rock, sacrificing a lot of the quirkiness that I really enjoyed about the band. Their last album, Healthy in Paranoid Times, was terrible. It has exactly three songs that are worth listening to, and exactly one song that has any business being on a “Best Of” compilation. Thankfully, Burn Burn is something of a return to form. I think it’s probably their best album so far with the new guitarist.

The lyrics aren’t going to blow you away with their poetry or anything, but the songs are catchy and only a little pretentious (I like a little pretension in my music!). I’ve listened to the entire album several times through and have yet to find any songs that I don’t like. That’s a good sign, especially since it normally takes me more than a dozen listens to really open up to an album. I’ve seen this band live more than any other band – mostly due to circumstance and not because I was trying to – but this is the first time in a couple of albums where I’m actually looking forward to seeing them again.

Hazards of Love by The Decemberists

We caught these guys on Colbert, and my wife was intrigued enough to add them to her playlist. I thought they were very talented, but not necessarily my style, and wasn’t totally sold on the album until we saw them live a few weeks ago. I went along to the show mostly because Charlotte loves live music and enjoys having me there with her, and was blown away.

I’m not a huge live music person, but I’ve been to plenty of shows, and I’m serious when I say this was one of the top three shows I’ve ever been to (amusingly, Our Lady Peace also has a show on that list). They rocked the hell out of it, playing their entire new album straight through without a stop, transitioning between the songs on the fly, then taking a short intermission, then coming back on and playing a whole second set. They were personable when talking and totally tight and in synch when playing. I’ve since gone back to the album and found a lot to like in it. If I had to recommend one of these three albums to someone without knowing their tastes, this is the one I’d choose.

Oh, and Shara Worden, a guest vocalist on the album from the band My Brightest Diamond, has an absolutely amazing set of pipes. She reminds me of Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane — that kind of intensity where she could be singing about her breakfast and you’re like “holy shit, this is the most important thing on earth.” The other guest singer, Becky Stark, is pretty damn good too. Both of them were at the live show, and the band’s cover of  “Crazy on You” by Heart was an awesome showcase of their talents. If you can catch these guys while they’re on tour, do it!