Album A Day: Maroon 5 – Songs About Jane

Artist: Maroon 5
Album: Songs About Jane
Release Date: June 25, 2002

Remember back in 2002 when Maroon 5’s ingenuity in bringing some funk and soul back to pop-rock? Remember how we applauded Maroon 5 for doing something different amdist the rank-and-file artists like John Mayer and Train. Maybe it’s because I was all of 14 when Songs About Jane came out, but this album was something truly different and kind of exciting for me. It didn’t have the influence that other albums from this time period did; for some reason, 9th and 10th grade were soundtracked by Good Charlotte’s The Young and the Hopeless and Dashboard’s A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar. (I’ll defend the latter, but Good Charlotte…wow…) But “Harder to Breathe” was a pretty awesome track in my mind back in the day.

But now I listen to anything by Maroon 5 and I just shrug. Maybe it’s because pop music evolved a little bit and engulfed what made Maroon 5 cool to begin with, effectively killing the novelty. Or maybe what was exciting in high school turned out to be simply meh in the grand scheme of music. Songs About Jane is still a worthy, even at times a great album, don’t get me wrong. “Harder to Breathe” is a funky shot in the arm and a terrific first impression, and from start to finish the beats on this album are unique and interesting, especially for a typically bland genre like pop rock. In spite of it’s flaws (most of which are the fault of age and musical evolution), Songs About Jane is an album full of flavor and texture, making it a worthy record that stands out amongst its peers.

Maroon 5 – Harder to Breathe [iTunes] (YSI)

Leak Alert: Daughtry Decides to Leave This Town on an Earlier Bus

Late last night Leave This Town, the second album from Daughtry leaked in proper downloadable format, a day after it debuted on VH1’s website and 6 days before its official release date. It’s out there for the taking now if you know where to look. I’m 4 tracks into it now, and so far it’s playing moderately better than a standard release from Nickelback. Take that however you choose. A legitimate review will come in the next few days, but that’s my first impression.

==TJ==

Album A Day: The Hush Sound – Like Vines

EDIT: The Hush Sound’s own Bob Morris just stopped by to set me straight after mistakenly saying they were from Ohio. My bad. They’re from Illinois.

After putting out the call to those who follow me on Twitter for ideas for today’s segment, I was presented with two options:

• My friend (in spite of her Phillies fandom) Colealtmann suggested The Hush Sound’s Like Vines, while
• Doctor Rosen Rosen offered George Michael’s Faith

Normally I’d give the advantage to Faith, but I saw the suggestion for the Hush Sound first. So…

Artist: The Hush Sound
Album: Like Vines
Release Date: June 6, 2006

It would be easy to declare The Hush Sound a poor mans Panic at the Disco. It would also be fairly accurate. But there’s more to this softspoken Ohio Illinois act than that. Their sound falls somewhere between the pop-punk cabaret of Panic(!) at the Disco and the illuminating storytelling lyrics of The Decemberists or The Dresden Dolls. The Hush Sound don’t quite stack up to any of those better known acts, but as a set of influences go, The Hush Sound could do far worse. Like Vines masks its theatrical sound behind soft piano tinkering and the dainty voice of Greta Salpeter. The by-the-numbers vocals of Bob Morris and the assists from Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump do The Hush Sound no favors, as these factors just serve to stoop the band down to the level of other pop-punk acts, a level on which they don’t quite stack up. Still, Like Vines is a simple, very unassuming album that doesn’t break ground on much of anything, but is perfectly happy doing whatever it is it does.

The Hush Sound – We Intertwined [iTunes] (YSI)

==TJ==

PS: I’m always looking for Album A Day suggestions. Drop one to me on Twitter, or go to the page at the tab that reads “Album A Day Requests” and leave a comment.

Viva La Mainstream Presents The Essentials of 2009 (So Far): The Songs

We’re right about at the halfway mark of the year (already…feels like its only March…whew), so of course now is about when all the bloggers and magazines and other music dorks start trying to compile who’s done good stuff so far this year and who hasn’t. So in keeping with the blogger tradition of trying to rank an art form in the name of scoring page views, I humbly present my 15 Essential Songs of the First Half of 2009. Please keep in mind the following, however; these songs are not ranked from 15 to 1. Trying to do that would be a massive headache and would inevitably do a great disservice to somebody. Instead, these are presented in chronological order, starting with songs released in January and ending with last week.

Animal Collective – My Girls [iTunes] (YSI)
This is the one that’s showing up at the top of almost every music list I’ve seen so far. Admittedly, I’m not as desperately in love with Merriweather Post Pavilion as most well-respected music nerds would like me to be, but this song is quirky, unexpected and, based on its sludgy, noisy introduction, surprisingly catchy.

Jaydiohead – Dirt off Your Android
Because mixtapes deserve some love too. Take the best rapper alive and the most consistently astounding alternative rock band in action today and fuse their music together and you get the aptly named Jaydiohead. This album of mashups was a pleasant come-out-of-nowhere surprise to start off 2009, and one of the best DIY releases from the year thus far.

My Chemical Romance – Desolation Row
Say what you will about both MCR and Watchmen, the film whose soundtrack bore this Bob Dylan cover. Both the film and the band are noticeably flawed ventures that will be debated inside and out until every word that could possibly be spoken about them is. But this quick, violent, brazen punk rock anthem takes Dylan’s words and gives them a sharp kick to the face with the help of My Chemical Romance’s newfound gumption.

Kelly Clarkson – I Do Not Hook Up
I’m getting a little bit ahead of myself, but Clarkson’s All I Ever Wanted wins the midyear award for biggest surprise of 2009 thus far. That title comes in part on the strength of this single, which sounds like Kelly Clarkson doing her best Patrick Stump/Pete Wentz impersonation, in the nicest possible way. It’s loud, incredibly clever and with the help of Clarkson’s booming voice, catchy as all hell.

Chris Cornell – Ground Zero
This one’s gonna earn me some hate mail. But I will stand by Cornell and his misguided Scream album till the end. True, the album cooled off for me after that initial love I gave it back in March. This track was the shining example of what made Scream a worthy attempt, even if the album as a whole didn’t turn out as great as this track.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero [iTunes] (YSI)
This is the first song by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs I was ever able to get excited about. Far from the dull alternative rock of the band’s first two albums, Zero and its album It’s Blitz were filled with unassuming, charmingly simple dance rock that suited Karen O far better than most of the rest of the band’s catalog.

Royksopp – The Girl and the Robot
I hate European dance music. But this song is entirely too much fun to hate. The rest of the album never did anything for me, but this single was pure magic.

Metric – Gimme Sympathy
Metric’s Fantasies grew on me quite a bit after my initial lukewarm review, and this song, a driving rocker in the vein of Jimmy Eat World, is the embodiment of what made Fantasies as enjoyable as it eventually became for me.

Silversun Pickups – Panic Switch
Possibly one of my favorites on this list. Electrifying, wonderfully crafted, and one of the biggest rockers of the year thus far. That beat is damn near impeccable, and who can argue with a bass line that grooves like that? This may well become my new ringtone in a few weeks, a status not handed out easily.

Tinted Windows – Kind of a Girl
Who said music always had to be deep and full of layers and subtext? Whoever it was, they must’ve forgotten to give the memo to Taylor Hanson, Adam Schlesinger, James Iha and Bun E. Carlos. Because the B-list supergroup put together an album chock full of easy, hooktacular numbers like this one. Kudos to ‘em for it, too.

Eminem – Old Time’s Sake (feat. Dr. Dre)
One of the few tracks from Eminem’s comeback album that didn’t feature the strange new accent he picked up, and also one of the only ones where he sounds genuinely excited to be holding the mic again. Relapse was riddled with ups and downs, and “Old Time’s Sake” was one of the few big ups of the record.

Green Day – The Static Age
When’s the last time you heard a Green Day song with a key change as epic as this one? For that matter, when’s the last time a Green Day song had any kind of key change worth writing home about? Yeah. If you’re still not convinced, watch this video of a live performance of the song. I got two words for you: Saxophone. Solo. Big win from a huge effort from Green Day.

Passion Pit – The Reeling
Readers know how I tend to feel about well hyped indie bands. But Passion Pit overcame my usual distaste by focusing more on having fun, and worrying about fitting an aesthetic and giving the hipsters what they want second.

Incubus – Black Heart Inertia [iTunes] (YSI)
Very rarely does a greatest hits/B-sides collection get my attention on a list like this one. But this single reminded me why Incubus have had people’s attention for over a decade, and a well crafted collection of B-sides and rarities make Monuments and Melodies as good as some of the bands studio albums. Can’t wait to see these guys in Philadelphia in August.

Wilco – You and I
Even after hearing the band’s new album, I’m not Wilco’s biggest fan, but this simple, lovely duet with Feist is everything I like in an acoustic love song. I’ve only heard the album once, but this song left a pretty strong impression on that one listen.

That’s it for the songs. Over the course of the next week I’ll have new lists and analysis of the year so far.

==TJ==

Album A Day: Rush – 2112

Artist: Rush
Album: 2112
Released: April 1976 (date unknown)

This isn’t my first time listening to 2112, but its the first time I’ve really paid it the attention it’s truly due. My first listen to it came on my birthday last October while my friends Justin, Zack and Peter (three of the biggest music geeks I know) were playing 1000 Blank White Cards, a game we hold close to our hearts. During the game I played 2112 which led several cards to be made cracking jokes about Neil Peart being a hack at Ayn Rand’s expense. Didn’t get it at first until I looked up the history of the album and saw that its 20-minute epic suite and title track drew inspiration from Rand’s Anthem. After looking into that story I listened to the track again and followed the story of the Priests of Syrinx and the Solar Federation. Suffice it to say…wow. The fact that it’s originality is in question aside, 2112, both the song and the album, are simply brilliant. It’s imaginitive, it’s musically unparalleled, and as far-reaching as the stories it tells.

As a general rule, I’m not a fan of prog rock as a genre. I feel as though a song should get to its point fairly quickly and not try to impress me with 15-minute guitar solos and 5 minute instrumental intros. But when the fundamentals of the genre come together and result in something as creatively sound as 2112, the ends justify the means. I’m not saying that 2112 and Rush have magically uprooted folks like The Who in my book, but they’ve certainly earned a place in the conversation.

Rush – Passage to Bangkok [iTunes] (YSI)

==TJ==

Paramore’s “Ignorance” is Sheer Bliss

Today saw the official release of the first single from brand new eyes, the third studio album from the consistently astounding Paramore.

“Ignorance” is an impressive first impression of the new album. It hits hard and wastes virtually no time doing so. Hayley Williams’ lyrics and vocals bite with a vigor comparable to that of Paramore’s most recent hit, the pseudo-vampire anthem “Decode”. Meanwhile, the band, led by the guitars of Josh Farro, whose work has gotten better and better with every new release, provides its own brand of ferocity. That said, don’t think Paramore has suddenly gotten hardcore on their fans. Williams’ still wails with a girlish excitement in the chorus, and bears a striking resemblance in the chorus, as she shoves the line “Ignorance is your new best friend” down the listener’s throat. “Ignorance” is an exciting, incredibly promising initial taste of what brand new eyes is going to sound like. For what it’s worth, I picked up a leak of this track yesterday, and still shelled out the iTunes money to buy it. Paramore has now entered the very rare territory where I will still purchase the band’s material even when I’ve acquired a leak. Very few bands, among them the Foo Fighters and Green Day, have entered that category. Suffice it to say, the bar is pretty high for brand new eyes.

Paramore – Ignorance [iTunes] (YSI)

Album A Day: Cage the Elephant – Cage the Elephant

Artist: Cage the Elephant
Album: Cage the Elephant
Release Date: June 23, 2008 (UK); May 19, 2009 (USA)

As a writer, critic, and generally educated human being, I’ve tried to steer clear of the way in which the word ‘random’ has entered my generation’s vernacular. It’s overused, misused frequently and doesn’t really offer any meaningful description. But for this instance, I feel I need to make an exception.

Cage the Elephant’s debut album is a random record. Mixing the quasi rap lyrical stylings of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine, the acoustic folk rock of bands like OAR and the arrangements of early-00s nu-rock of The White Stripes or The Hives, Cage the Elephant feel more like a mishmash of influences that gel into an unpredictable hybrid band than they do an organic musical venture. If you read that part again and figure that I’m not a fan of the album, that’s not necessarily true. True, it’s an eclectic mix of sounds. Also true, the finished product doesn’t fit squarely in my musical wheelhouse. But yet, there’s the tiniest hint of method in the madness that urges listeners to dig deeper and follow them as they jump from one track to another. It’s a flawed debut, but it’s strength is in its versatility. For their next trick I hope they pick a direction and follow it.

Cage the Elephant – Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked [iTunes] (YSI)

==TJ==

Panic at the Disco Break In Half

Earlier today, Ryan Ross and Jon Walker, bassist and guitarist for the punctuation-confused Panic at the Disco announced they were leaving the band. In a statement found on Panic’s MySpace (apparently the new form of press release for fans these days), the departing duo say they have “creatively evolved in different directions”. They claim the split is nothing but amicable, and Panic at the Disco will continue on as a band and will honor its tour dates with Blink 182 this summer. Likewise, Ross and Walker will be launching their own band and will be releasing material in the near future.

This poses two critical questions:

1) Of the two new bands, which will sound like Fall Out Boy circa 7 years ago and which will sound like a Beatles cover band with better than average original songs?

2) Will the new Ross/Walker band restore the missing ‘!’ in their name?

Panic at the Disco – Nine in the Afternoon [iTunes] (YSI)

==TJ==

Album A Day: AC/DC – Back in Black

Artist: AC/DC
Album: Back in Black
Release Date: July 25, 1980

AC/DC’s continued success is quite frankly inexplicable to me. The band has been around 34 years, and in that time has had about as many different members, and somehow still retained relevancy. Listening to Back in Black, it scores a number of points for not reaching for anything other than straight-up rock n’ roll and having the ballsy guitar solos of Angus Young and the quasi-Robert Plant wails of Dave Evans/Bon Scott/Brian Johnson to back up that swagger. But maybe it’s just me, but I can only take so many tracks about sex, drugs and rock n’ roll before they all just blend together. I hesitate to compare AC/DC to the likes of today’s Nickelbacks and Seethers, since even I find that harsh, but I can’t help but feel like substance isn’t something AC/DC is particularly good at injecting into their music. It’s loud, it’s musically proficient, and Back in Black certainly has its fair share of memorable rockers, but if you’ve heard “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Back in Black” you’ve gathered the gist of the album.

And another thing; how are AC/DC still relevant in an age where rock music has inched closer and closer to the middle of the road, and nobody’s buying albums anymore? AC/DC are many things, but moderate sure as hell ain’t one of them, and even the hard rockers of today, folks like Disturbed and the Foo Fighters are tame compared to the rock music of 1980, the year Back in Black came out. Furthermore, AC/DC have outright blasted any notion of their music being made available at digital outlets like iTunes, claiming that their music is best heard as an album. Problem is; since 2000 album sales have plummeted, and by all accounts places like iTunes are the future of music sales. What’s going to happen to AC/DC in five years when the last big-box retailers cave and stop dealing CDs? Something’s gotta give, and to be honest, I’m not sure which side will cave first. AC/DC are good in small doses, and pretty soon that’s all anyone might get of the band.

AC/DC – Back in Black [iTunes...oops, not so much] (YSI)

==TJ==

Album A Day: Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction

Artist: Guns N’ Roses
Album: Appetite for Destruction
Release Date: July 21, 1987

Oh, Guns N’ Roses, where do we begin with you. Well, for starters, I guess we could talk about what a great debut album this was. Appetite for Destruction had…

…

…

….

Wait a second.

Are you actually reading this today? Right now? Um, hello? Today’s the Fourth of July! Independence Day! Don’t you have something far more exciting to do today? Don’t you have like, I don’t know, burgers to grill, beers to drink, fireworks to set off and/or admire, beautiful weather to enjoy? I mean, seriously. Are you really going to spend your holiday listening to some blogger offer some reasoning as to why an album that’s already been catalogued by the annals of history shouldn’t be forgotten? Didn’t think so. Go ahead and close up your computer and get on with your day. I’ll still be around tomorrow. Have fun with your burgers, beer and fireworks.

Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine [iTunes] (YSI)