No matter what mood I am in or how frustrated I am after a lousy day at work, Dropkick Murphys pull me out of it. Maybe it is because they have this perfect balance of melody and shouting that allows you to be incensed and carefree at the same time.
Live On Lansdowne, Boston MA will be available on CD, CD with a bonus DVD or on a double LP gatefold vinyl (with bonus CD. I’m not sure what the bonus CD is, but wouldn’t it be sweet if it was mp3 files that you can upload to your ipod?)
Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls, and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool [Roadrunner Records] Those looking to Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls, and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool as chance for Rob Zombie to broaden his musical scope should not be listening to Zombie in the first place. He doesn’t need to do anything of the sort. He is so talented, so brilliant, at what he does that he doesn’t need to change, or have to for that matter. Now, Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls, and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool, is in no way a narrow minded record, yet it is exactly the album that Zombie should have released, or better yet, needed to release. It actually would have made more sense for this album to have been released when Educated Horses was, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20. The albums even keeled blend of the creepy, crunchy, aggressive feel of Hellbilly Deluxeand the retro, ultra cool ambiance the Sinister Urge is the perfect recipe for Zombie to climb back on his soapbox and proclaim to the world that he is still one of the best at his craft. Well, he doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone – this is Rob Zombie we’re talking about here. The songs here are short; Zombie isn’t known for penning wandering epics or anything close. These tracks are compact and hit hard – they are concise and immediately to the point. Songs like “What!”, “Sick Bubblegum” and “Burn” lead the aural charge on Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls, and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool, a charge that very rarely lets up throughout the albums 46 plus minutes, although there are scattered pitfalls along the way. Prattling, seemingly endless songs like “Mars Needs Women” and “the Man Who Laughs” prove that by no means is this a perfect record. It’d be foolish to call Zombie’s music subtle or anything close, but even underneath all the filth, all the grime, there are subtle undertones. It’s there in the lurch that you will find lurking rock and roll undertones cutting through, an element that helps define Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls, and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool as an album. Looking past the eerie vibes and dense, riff laden grooves and even the horror movie-esque storytelling, there is a staunch basic-ness, a noticeable simplicity to this record. We are all aware, or at least should be cognoscente of the idea, that Zombie is good at being elaborate – songwriting, stage show – but what some may not know is that Zombie is adept at keeping things simple, a talent showcased at times throughout Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls, and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool. If you think about it, Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls, and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool needed to be a success. Could Zombie really have come out and named this disc the predecessor to his finest work in Hellbilly Deluxe and gotten away with it if it failed to meet expectations? In short, no. Grade: A Listen to: “Burn”
Lifehouse - Smoke and Mirrors (Dreamworks/Geffen)
It took Lifehouse three years to pen their fifth full length Smoke and Mirrors, longer than it has taken the Malibu, California products to put together any other album in their 10+ year existence, a new record that finds the band abandoning some of their patented done to death pop rock tendencies that have made them so much money in the past for something a little more contemporary, an almost classic rock feel if you will.
It doesn’t take long into Smoke and Mirrors to get a good look at Lifehouse’s agenda this time out – they are out prove themselves as a credible rock band, not just a band known for writing sappy pop ballads. Opener “All In” establishes a certain tone early on, while songs like lead single “Halfway Gone” and “Smoke and Mirrors” help to lead the band’s guitar/vocal driven aesthetic into battle. The albums title track especially offers up a classic rock vibe ala Tom Petty (think Foo Fighters on “Wheels”), which is really what the band is going for this time around.
While Smoke and Mirrors offers up some fine outtings like “Wrecking Ball,” it also offers some songs that completely miss the boat, and seem not to fit, like the jerky “Nerve Damage” and the electro-soaked “Here Tomorrow Gone Today.” Oh yeah, and as you would expect, or should expect, the ballads are here as well. Songs like “It Is What It Is” and album closer “In Your Skin” find Lifehouse doing just what they do best, slow the pace, halt the tempo and pluck the heartstrings through frontman Wade’s endearing, empassioned vocals.
There a good chance you may have already heard the single “From Where You Are,” as it was written as part of the Allstate Teen Driving Program. It’s dedicated to those teens who have tragically lost their lives in accidents, and attempts to serve as an educational tool, or wake up call, for teens to drive more safely in the future. “From Where You Are” is also dedicated to a friend of frontman Jason Wade that was killed in a car accident at the the age of 16.
Even though with Smoke and Mirrors Lifehouse seemed destined to accomplish a goal, the band often fall back into the rut of sounding exactly the same as they ever have. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, its just more of the same.
Grade: C
Listen to: “From Where You Are”
Written by: Martin Baggs
Sitting on the stage, where guitars, drums, basses usually sit, was a funky 6ft. pipe. It was attached to the stage floor and lit up in the dim lights of the stage. It wasn't a packed house at 3rd and Lindsley but it should have been. That 1 Guy took the Nashville stage at 7pm and completely blew the roof off that place until 8:20.
Daniel Tidwell - Versus Video Games
On Versus Video Games, Daniel Tidwell pays tribute to those video games that seemingly helped shape his, hell, all of our youths, and while the argument rages on between nerds, geeks, nostalgia-heads and revivalists alike about whether or not these 8-bit theme songs should ever be toyed with, one thing is for certain after listening to this record – if Tidwell is at the helm of those recreations, we are all better for it. We are all victorious, and to the victors go the spoils, in this case the spoils are Versus Video Games, 14 tracks of brilliance, both nostalgically and musically, a perfect throwback to a time when life wasn’t lived without a controller in your hand, a life without consequence or responsibility.
Plastic Beach - Gorillaz
English alternative rockers Muse have released the official music video for their chart topping single "Resistance." The video gives fans a glimpse of their energetic and extravagant live performances for which they are known. The single comes from the band's fifth studio album titled, The Resistance, which has topped the charts in 19 countries and reached number three on the American album chart thanks to the lead single "Uprising." The best selling CD fuses a number of musical genres, including progressive rock, clasical music, and electronica. Head on over to iTunes and pick up the bands new iPhone app and self-produced album, The Resistance.
Muse is currently on tour with Silversun Pickups.
Feb 27 Gwinnett Center Atlanta, GA
Mar 1 Patriot Center Fairfax, VA
Mar 2 Wachovia Center Philadelphia, PA
Mar 3 1st Mariner Arena Baltimore, MD
Mar 5 Madison Square Garden New York, NY
Mar 6 TD Banknorth Garden Boston, MA
Mar 8 Air Canada Center Toronto
Mar 10 Bell Centre Montreal
Mar 12 United Center Chicago, IL
Mar 13 Palace of Auburn Hills Detroit, MI
Mar 15 Sommet Center Nashville, TN
Mar 17 Ft Worth Convention Center Dallas, TX
Mar 18 Toyota Center Houston, TX
Mar 29 Rexall Place Edmonton
Mar 30 Pengrowth Saddledome Calgary
Apr 1 Pacific Coliseum Vancouver
Apr 2 Key Arena Seattle, WA
Apr 3 Rose Garden Arena Portland, OR
Apr 5 The E Center Salt Lake City, UT
Apr 6 Odeum Colorado Denver, CO
Apr 9 US Airways Center Phoenix, AZ
Apr 10 Mandalay Bay Events Center Las Vegas, NV
Apr 11 Pima County Fairgrounds Tuscon, AZ
Apr 14 Oracle Arena San Francisco, CA
Apr 17 Coachella Festival Indio, CA
Heading to the Dan Black show at Mercury Lounge, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Black has a dance-inducing Euro electropop sound, but the venue itself, resembling someone’s small garage or forgotten rec room, is best known for hosting guitar-driven indie bands. At least, those are the types of artists I had seen play there in the past.
Upon arriving, the space was more crowded than I had ever seen it. Experimental pop outfit Free Blood was up first. Their tunes were fun, but a bit forgettable. During the time between when they exited and Dan Black took to the stage, the crowd filled out even more, reaching “jam-packed” proportions.
Various Artists: Almost Alice - [Disney] It’s fitting that one of the most anticipated movie events of the year, Tim Burton’s live adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, would be accompanied by one of the most anticipated soundtracks in recent memory with Almost Alice, a 16 track collection of original tracks made solely for this movie that helps to add another layer of brilliance to the epic remake. As should be expected with a soundtrack to a Tim Burton oddity (think Nightmare Before Christmas), Almost Alice is 16 massively immersive tracks with a slight gothic coating, written and performed by a heavy hitting cast. The record is littered with excellent songs, one right after the other, with only a few hiccups along the way, songs that just don’t seem to work in the grand scheme of things, such as Metro Station’s scene pitfall laden ‘Where’s My Angel’ and 3Oh!3’s (featuring Neon Hitch) synthy bounce fest ‘Follow Me Down. That duo bogs down the first half of the release, while Kerli’s ‘Tea Party’ and Wolfmother’s guitar, testosterone fueled ‘Fell Down a Hole’ represent some latter half follies, although the pros of Almost Alice heavily outweigh the short list of cons. Almost Alice offers no shortage of standout tracks, some more surprising than others, and none more surprising than Avril Lavigne’s album opener, ‘Alice.’ She is near perfect in kicking things off, showcasing the fact that she can actually sing with passion, and not just go through the motion like she normally does. ‘Alice’ is just the first of many highlights off of Almost Alice, including ‘the Poison’ by the All-American Rejects and ‘Her Name is Alice’ by Shinedown. With ‘Painting Flowers,’ powerpop merchants All Time Low switch gears and show off their mature side, proving that they might be more than just a flavor of the week type of band. Tokio Hotel, with an assist from Estonian singer Kerli, add an air of goth to the record with the song ‘Strange, while the Plain White T’s (‘Welcome to Mystery’) and Franz Ferdinand (‘the Lobster Quadrille’) add some contemporary fuel to the proverbial fire, each doing their part in keeping things uber-interesting down the stretch run of Almost Alice. Now, we have seen this style of songwriting before with the Plain White T’s as the band added their own personal touch to the track ‘Poor Jack’ for the 2008’s Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus is joined by ex-Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz for the song ‘In Transit,’ which turns out to not only be one of the best treasures on the entire outing, but also one of the best track found here period. But, when thinking of the album’s best work, one need not look further than legendary Cure frontman Robert Smith’s ‘Very Good Advice.’ The enigmatic Brit lends his vocals luminosity to the song, which sounds almost an even keeled blend of “Wild Mood Swings” and “4:13 Dream” era Cure, and honestly, it would be hard for Almost Alice to be this good without Smith’s contributions. To envision Almost Alice as a rousing success is as easy as judging a book by its cover, literally. All you have to do is read the track listing. With such a cavalcade of stars, how could the record possibly go wrong? Well, in all honesty, you probably could have, but luckily Almost Alice didn’t. At least there is no original recording from Johnny Depp or Anna Hathaway, because that probably would be the equivalent of audio torture. With that being said, Almost Alice is about as good as original movie soundtracks come. Grade: A Listen to: Robert Smith – ‘Very Good Advice,’ Shinedown – ‘Her Name Is Alice’ 
April Smith & the Great Picture Show - Songs for a Sinking Ship [Little Roscoe]
Throughout Songs for a Sinking Ship, there is a certain air of cool, a measure of confident swagger, which lingers about like freshly sprayed Febreeze; you can feel it surrounding you. You know it’s there, and you can’t help but pay attention to it. The bands approach on this record is simple and minimal, but effective.
Bad Reputation is English for "La Mauvaise Reputation" - one of the most famous songs by French poet-musician Georges Brassens. Brassens died in 1981, after becoming a celebrated act relatively late - for most of his lifetime, it was only him, a guitar, a conflicted relationship with society's conventions, and a towering collection of poetry and songs. The New York-based band Bad Reputation performs Brassens in English, translated by French-American front man Pierre de Gaillande and backed by a virtuoso group of four. It's sometimes a lovely experience to hear a clarinet and xylophone lifting a song, far from the synths and samples of so many downtown spaces. Pierre de Gaillande's voice does justice to the original clarity and nimbleness, but in our official native language - though when de Gaillande begins to sing one in French, there's a whoop from the crowd. But whichever the language, the message rings true in its fantastic, often surreal way. Newcomers to Brassens would think of John Cale - or, if you ever listened to French radio, chanson star Bénabar. The songs "Penelope" and "Je Me Suis Fait Tout Petit" are the highest moments. The sound is both a throwback to another generation and a leap forward, where famous old lyrics are turned strikingly to be fresh and meaningful again. Bad Reputation releases an album this summer.
Pascal Parisot is actually Parisot with partner Frédérique Dastrevigne. Their mock-offended stage relationship is very funny: from a distance, it looks like Serge Gainsbourg has given way to a crush on a rock-glamor Juliette Greco (or Parisian Polly Harvey). And in fact the set produces a great cover of Serge's "Striptease"; it's also impossible not to compare Fredda's songs to Charlotte Gainsbourg's, though she somehow incorporates the brilliant spookiness of Karen Dalton, too. They open with recordings of birds twittering, but any suggestion that the substance of their show is sugar-light is trumped by something darker (and stand-out interesting) about them. The performance goes on to include some of Parisot's work, most memorably "Nefertiti," and some of Fredda's too, like "Barry White," a cafe-bar classic. It's a Sunday night and they aren't playing to the biggest New York crowd they might expect, but a gemlike show comes out of it anyway.
Georges Brassens on Last.fm
Bad Reputation on Barbes Records
Pascal Parisot on MySpace
Frédérique Dastrevigne on MySpace
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