My Music Online

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have become as reliable as U2 and REM in the past two decades. Like the other two bands, TRHCP have straddled the fine line of making broadly appealing music without exactly losing their souls to corporations. Yes, "By The Way" sounds like their most commercial cd to date, but as fans we have their first four cds that were not commercial to reflect on. I don’t think the band is completely commercial anyway, and I don’t they could be. I mean, my father wouldn’t buy "By The Way". Instead, the band is attracting new, younger listeners while keeping many of the old fans. With that said, "By The Way" is a solid recording with the band’s usual range of offerings from "By The Way", "Universally Speaking", "The Zephyr Song", Read the rest of this entry »

Could Radiohead’s seventh album have come at a more appropriate time? Arriving on the heels of the major labels’ ugly jury trial victory against a file-sharer (Jammie Thomas from Brainerd, Minn., was fined $222,000 for sharing 24 songs), In Rainbows is poised to drive a large nail in the RIAA’s coffin and begin the "Industry vs. Internet" discussions anew. "It used to be just [having a release] on a major label was a source of prestige and status," said Danny Goldberg, former CEO of Warner Bros. Records and Mercury Records. But that was before Napster, blogs, Myspace, esteemed indie labels, album leaks, YouTube and Tower Records’ Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Slowly but surely, the industry-induced barrier between music and listeners continues to erode. Read the rest of this entry »

This album more than met my expectations…Although it may be a fruitless effort to compare pearl jam albums with one another, I can’t understand why people have such negative things to say about Binaural. The tracks on this album individually show more development than those on any other album. Just because there isn’t a song that sounds like Even Flow or Alive, does that make it a bad album? Does that make it "fall short"? What other comments have I heard? "Not fun"..what are you talking about? If any album isn’t fun, it’s Ten (not much variation between songs and very little risk was taken). "The songs don’t stick in my head"..isn’t that kindof a good thing? The less developed a song is, the easier it will stick in your head. Example: Green Day -vs- Soundgarden. 3-chord junk songs versus actual skill. Read the rest of this entry »

Infected Mushroom’s trademark Israeli sound hits hard and furiously in the duo’s latest album, I.M. the Supervisor. While purists may deride the use of vocals, they soften Psychedelic Trance’s more cerebral sound in a way that’s danceable and immediately enjoyable to novices of the genre. But that’s not to say this isn’t an edgy album. “Bombat” and “Frog Machine” feature psychedelic synthtars will have you yearning for more, while symphonic segues and interludes in “Ratio Schmatio” will have you questioning reality. The catchy “Cities of the Future” re-appears here and the dub-style “Muse Breaks” will recall a past life in Jamaica. This is no doubt a crowning achievement for this fringe genre, and for Infected Mushroom as well. A must-own for all fans of Goa-style and Psychedelic Trance. Read the rest of this entry »

It starts off with the first single, "My Rights Versus Yours." I have to be honest, when I first listened to the song a few months ago I was not a fan. The song lacked the powerful hooks and grandiose climaxes that "Twin Cinema" flaunted on pretty much every song. Of course, since then I’ve been able to appreciate the song for it’s absolutely beautiful lyrics, and relentless drive. Carl Newman’s delivery is flawless as he sings "We hang suspended from the heights until it’s safer to walk here." The hook is a bit weak in my opinion("The truth in one free afternoon"), but it really doesn’t distract from this great song. "All the Old Showstoppers" continues the fantastic songwriting from the first track. It really feels like a group effort, especially by the time the bridge rolls around. Read the rest of this entry »

One is tempted to say that this album is so superb simply because everyone in it is so talented and the songs are all great, and while that is certainly true the history of rock has shown that great talent hasn’t always resulted in great music. For whatever reason, these guys have managed to assemble talent that meshes marvelously, with each member willing to step aside a bit for the good of the group. The level of musicianship on this album is exceptional and it is truly a delight listening to people who are all so very good at what they do playing such a great set of songs. If I had a complaint with the album it is that Neko Case doesn’t just take over fulltime as lead vocalist. Mind you, Carl Newman, the band’s main songwriter, is a very decent vocalist, but Neko Case is a great vocalist. Though he does every song he sings a service, he rarely stands out; Ms. Case does. Read the rest of this entry »

If there had to be only one Grateful Dead CD to run out and get, "Live/Dead" would have to be it. This album tops the list of many Deadheads as the bands best album overall. There’s plenty of reason for it as well. This is the Dead in their prime and at their very best performance-wise and music-wise.
"Live/Dead" opens with the famed 23-minute version of "Dark Star". This is the ultimate Dead-jam track. The band plays off each other like seasoned pros. Jerry Garcia performs one of his greatest guitar leads here and his voice is in ship-shape throughout. This version of "Dark Star" still holds up even today.
After "Dark Star" runs its 23-minutes, it is followed directly by "Saint Stephen". The studio version of this track appears on "Aoxomoxoa" but the live version included here is much more Read the rest of this entry »