© Zoë Keating - One Cello x 16 Natoma

Track List

1. Legions (War)
2. Fern
3. Tetrishead
4. Sun Will Set
5. We Insist
6. Legions (Reverie)
7. Frozen Angels
8. Legions (Aftermath)

Genre

Classical

Review

Every now and then an artist comes my way that turns the world upside down. In fact, this is the album of the year for me. The music is powerful, moving, and will give you pause to listen more closely. What is even more interesting is that she is producing all sounds on the record with just one cello!

I first came across Zoë by listening to a RadioLab interview. Thanks Kate! I recommend you listen the entire interview as well but also sit back and enjoy the live performance of an untitled song that is about 5:45 minutes into the interview. For an MP3 (not something I would normally recommend), the quality is excellent.

Rating

10/10

Live Performance

Watch her play a song in her upcoming album live. The video and sound is gritty but enough to get a taste:

© Ghostland Observatory: Paparazzi Lightning

Track List

1. Piano Man
2. Ghetto Magnet
3. Move With Your Lover
4. All You Rock & Rollers
5. Vibrate
6. Sad Sad City
7. Stranger Lover
8. Paparazzi Lightning
9. I’ll Be Suzy
10. Midnight Voyage

Genre

Electronic

Review

“Paparazzi Lightning” is their sophomore release and is an album that you can let run from end to end. What I find interesting about this band and the album is the fusion of electronic and disco music. It’s a bit of a throw back to older days in some sense but I like that. The music is gritty and Aaron Kyle Behrens vocals always seem to have this slight scream to them. “Piano Man” and “Midnight Voyage” are my favorite tracks. This is a great album to have around for party music.

Rating

7/10

“Piano Man” Music Video

Pulled from YouTube with a guy drawing a robot set to the music of “Piano Man”:

“Midnight Voyage” Music Video

© Tenacious D: Pick of Destiny

Track List

1. Kickapoo
2. Classico
3. Baby
4. Destiny
5. History
6. The Government Totally Sucks
7. Master Exploder
8. The Divide
9. Papagenu (He’s My Sassafrass)
10. Dude (I Totally Miss You)
11. Break In-City (Storm The Gate)
12. Car Chase City
13. Beezleboss (The Final Showdown)
14. POD (The Pick Of Destiny)
15. The Metal

Genre

Rock

Review

A friend of mine sent me a DVD last year of personal travels that had an excellent soundtrack. One of the songs was from Tenacious D. It was so good that it peaked my interest enough to investigate further. So I picked up Tenacious D’s latest release which tells a story of a young boy who eventually masters the art of rock and roll and beats the devil in a jam-a-thon. The guitar riffs are catchy and the lyrics are really funny if you like Jack Black’s sense of humor. Great album, thanks Matthew!

Rating

8/10

“Kickapoo” Music Video

NOTE: This video contains explicit lyrics but should have you on the floor in laughter.

© The Crystal Method: Vegas

Track List

1. Trip Like I Do
2. Busy Child
3. Cherry Twist
4. High Roller
5. Comin’ Back
6. Keep Hope Alive
7. Vapor Trail
8. She’s My Pusher
9. Jaded
10. Bad Stone

Genre

Electronic

Review

Back when I was first getting into electronic music, this is one of the bands that sucked me in. The “Vegas” album is their first album although they have gone on to release six more albums (none of which outshine this one). If you are a fan of electronic music and don’t already have this in your collection then I recommend picking up this album. Every song on this album is great and easily something you can listen to from end-to-end.

Rating

9/10

“Trip Like I Do” Music Video

While the video is mostly a mix of images from the Final Fantasy franchise, you’ll get to hear a bit of the song. Pay special attention to the lyrics as they are strongly influenced by The Dark Crystal movie.

“Trip Like I Do (with Filter)” Music Video

For those that like the band, Filter, you might like this version of the “Tripe Like I Do” song. BTW, this song was first released with the Spawn movie (on the special features disk). However, if you are a Spawn fan, I recommend not watching the movie and checking out the animated HBO series instead.

© Half Cousin: Iodine

Track List

1. Big Chief (The B&B Frequenter)
2. Jim’s Crash Memory
3. Charity
4. The Absentee
5. Abide
6. Police Torch
7. Home Help
8. Rat Pack Dad
9. The Family Thumb
10. Your Name

Genre

Folk/Electronica

Review

Half Cousin is an Irish band that juxtaposes folk music with digital fragments to create a unique but off-beat album that really works. The songs “Big Chief (The B&B Frequenter)” and “The Absentee” are my favorite but the rest of the songs on the album are great as well.

“Iodine” is the second album released by Half Cousin. I haven’t listened to their first album, “The Function Room”, but it might be worth checking out as well.

Rating

8/10

“The Absentee” Music Video

“Big Chief (The B&B Frequenter)” Music Video

© Nine Inch Nails: Ghosts I-IV

Track List

1. 01 Ghosts I
2. 02 Ghosts I
3. 03 Ghosts I
4. 04 Ghosts I
5. 05 Ghosts I
6. 06 Ghosts I
7. 07 Ghosts I
8. 08 Ghosts I
9. 09 Ghosts I
10. 10 Ghosts II
11. 11 Ghosts II
12. 12 Ghosts II
13. 13 Ghosts II
14. 14 Ghosts II
15. 15 Ghosts II
16. 16 Ghosts II
17. 17 Ghosts II
18. 18 Ghosts II
19. 19 Ghosts III
20. 20 Ghosts III
21. 21 Ghosts III
22. 22 Ghosts III
23. 23 Ghosts III
24. 24 Ghosts III
25. 25 Ghosts III
26. 26 Ghosts III
27. 27 Ghosts III
28. 28 Ghosts IV
29. 29 Ghosts IV
30. 30 Ghosts IV
31. 31 Ghosts IV
32. 32 Ghosts IV
33. 33 Ghosts IV
34. 34 Ghosts IV
35. 35 Ghosts IV
36. 36 Ghosts IV

Genre

Industrial

Review

Following Radiohead’s lead (i.e. the “In Rainbows” album release), Nine Inch Nails has done something similar where you can download for free or purchase multiple formats of the album:

(click to view)

Initially, I downloaded the first 9 tracks for free. I liked what I heard and then decided to buy the CD. The best part is that while the CD is not out until April, you can download the entire album (as part of your CD purchase) in the following formats until the CD is available:

Included in the download is all the album art along with wallpaper and web art. Lets hope that more artists start to pick up on this in the future. Actually, I’d prefer to download the lossless version of the music all the time. I don’t need a physical disk anymore.

As for the album, I am enjoying it a lot and is in my “developer” playlist along with Amon Tobin: Out From Out Where.

Rating

8/10

© Lacuna Coil: Karmacode

Track List

1. Fragile
2. To The Edge
3. Our Truth
4. Within Me
5. Devoted
6. You Create
7. What I See
8. Fragments Of Faith
9. Closer
10. In Visible Light
11. The Game
12. Without Fear
13. Enjoy The Silence

Genre

Gothic Metal

Review

A friend recommended that I check this band out and so I started with one of their latest albums instead of starting at the beginning. I’m impressed but, then again, I’m a sucker for metal bands that have female vocals contrasted by low male vocal or heavy guitars. In the case of this Italian band, Cristina Scabbia’s lead vocals are clean and clear which is sometimes not always the case with this kind of music. Every song on this album is fantastic although “Our Truth” is my personal favorite. For those who are Depeche Mode fans, you might enjoy the last song on the album which is a cover of “Enjoy the Silence”. Check out the music videos below for a sample.

Rating

8/10

“Closer” Music Video

“Enjoy the Silence” Music Video

© Amon Tobin: Out From Out Where

Track List

1. Back From Space
2. Verbal (with MC Decimal R)
3. Chronic Tronic
4. Searchers
5. Hey Blondie
6. Rosies
7. Cosmo Retro Intro Outro
8. Triple Science
9. El Wraith
10. Proper Hoodidge
11. Mighty Micro People

Genre

Electronic

Description

I can’t remember how I stumbled across Amon Tobin but I’m glad I did. This album exhibits an interesting mix of sound samples, symphonic sound, varying instrumentation, verbal snippets, etc. Make sure to check out the “Hey Blondie” and “Triple Science” tracks. If you are a programmer, this is a great album for getting into the groove.

“Verbal” Music Video

© Robert Plant/Alison Krauss: Raising Sand

Track List

1. Rich Woman
2. Killing The Blues
3. Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us
4. Polly Come Home
5. Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)
6. Through The Morning, Through The Night
7. Please Read The Letter
8. Trampled Rose
9. Fortune Teller
10. Stick With Me Baby
11. Nothin’
12. Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson
13. Your Long Journey

Genre

Blues

Description

Being a fan of Led Zeppelin and the work of Robert Plant, I was curious about his recent pairing with Alison Krauss. Having not followed the bluegrass scene or Krauss’ career, I really like what both Plant and Krauss have accomplished with this album. If you are a radio listener, you have probably already heard the song “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)” playing often. I like it too. “Trampled Rose” is a track where Krauss’ shines on the album for me. Great song. “Fortune Teller”, “Stick With Me Baby”, and “Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson” are also great tracks to check out as well. While these are all great tracks, the album as a whole also gels really well. Good mood music. The only track that I am disappointed about is “Please Read The Letter”. I never really enjoyed it when I first heard it off the “Robert Plant/Jimmy Page: Walking Into Clarksdale” album and doesn’t move me on this album either. Overall, a good album to add to your collection.

“Stick With Me Baby” Music Video

Actually, this is audio only but is a great song to listen to:

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Interview

Depending on what your search criteria is, you might end up with an album selected for playback as shown here:

(click to view)

Generally, most music tracks are 30 seconds in length but every now and then you can find full length material. The best part is that you don’t even have to be a member to use this.

Source: Open Culture

I admit that I have a lot of my music compressed to MP3 due to convenience of portability but have always been a purist at heart. I still enjoy being able to listen to the uncompressed version on high fidelity equipment. Even better if you are listening to SACD and/or DVD-Audio quality sound.

I hope that the compression trend will change in years to come as the price of storage technology goes down so that home media servers as well as portable devices will be able to store more uncompressed audio. I would rather see the appreciation of high fidelity sound reclaimed rather than lost.

© Feist: The Reminder

Track List

1. So Sorry
2. I Feel It All
3. My Moon My Man
4. The Park
5. The Water
6. Sea Lion Woman
7. Past In Present
8. Limit To Your Love
9. 1 2 3 4
10. Brandy Alexander
11. Intuition
12. Honey Honey
13. How My Heart Behaves

Genre

Alternative

Description

Her third solo album is already up for several Grammy nominations. The song “1 2 3 4″ is currently a radio hit but I find “I Feel It All” and especially “Past In Present” to be my favorites. “Brandy Alexander” is amusing. Great album and great voice. Definitely something to add to your collection.

“1 2 3 4″ Music Video

Amusing music video to a popular song:

© Billy Idol: Devil’s Playground

Track List

1. Super Overdrive
2. World Comin’ Down
3. Rat Race
4. Sherri
5. Plastic Jesus
6. Scream
7. Yellin’ At The Xmas Tree
8. Romeo’s Waiting
9. Body Snatcher
10. Evil Eye
11. Lady Do Or Die
12. Cherie
13. Summer Running

Genre

Rock

Description

I am sure I’ll get some flak for writing about this album but there are some decent songs on this album. I’m not claiming it has a lot of lasting qualities but “Rat Race”, “Scream”, “Evil Eye”, and “Body Snatcher” are catchy. “Yellin’ At The Xmas Tree” is lyrically amusing. I suggest playing the song while hanging out with the family this holiday season and watching their reactions. Anyway, it seems the old rebel still has some kick to him.

“Rat Race” Music Video

The following, while only a still image, samples a song from the album:

Track List

1. Sleeping Lessons
2. Australia
3. Pam Berry
4. Phantom Limb
5. Sea Legs
6. Red Rabbits
7. Turn On Me
8. Black Wave
9. Split Needles
10. Girl Sailor
11. A Comet Appears

Genre

Alternative/Punk

Description

Each new release by The Shins just keeps getting better and better. This is their third album and it definitely doesn’t disappoint. I really like the opening song “Sleeping Lessons”. Also, make sure to check out “Australia” and the best song on the album: “Sea Legs”.

“Sleeping Lessons” Music Video

The following is a live performance:

© The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow

Track List

1. Kissing The Lipless
2. Mine’s Not A High Horse
3. So Says I
4. Young Pilgrims
5. Saint Simon
6. Fighting In A Sack
7. Pink Bullets
8. Turn A Square
9. Gone For Good
10. Those To Come

Genre

Alternative/Punk

Description

This is the second album produced by The Shins. Every song on this album is amazing except “Gone For Good” which, for some reason, goes country.

“Pink Bullets” Music Video

The following is a music video of one of the slower songs on the album. I like the stop motion used in the video:

© The Shins: Oh, Inverted World

Track List

1. Caring Is Creepy
2. One By One All Day
3. Weird Divide
4. Know Your Onion!
5. Girl Inform Me
6. New Slang
7. The Celibate Life
8. Girl On The Wing
9. Your Algebra
10. Pressed In A Book
11. The Past And Pending

Genre

Alternative/Punk

Description

The Shins debut album. The song “New Slang” was featured in the Garden State movie where Sam says to Andrew: “You gotta hear this one song - it’ll change your life.” Well, I suppose she is right as it definitely got me hooked on a new band.

“New Slang” Music Video

As mentioned above, here is a music video to the song with clips from the Garden State movie:

© Metroid Metal

For those that are fans of the Metroid game series, you might want to check out some really good metal renditions of the class tunes from Metroid, Super Metroid, and the Metroid Prime soundtracks. You can download the songs for free from Metroid Metal but you might consider sending in a donation for the excellent work done on these songs. I, for one, am going to get the CD. I still have fond memories of the days I used to play these great games.

Thanks, George, for the tip.

© Type O Negative: Dead Again

Track List

1. Dead Again
2. Tripping A Blind Man
3. The Profit Of Doom
4. September Sun
5. Halloween In Heaven
6. These Three Things
7. She Burned Me Down
8. Some Stupid Tomorrow
9. An Ode To Locksmiths
10. Hail And Farewell To Britain

Genre

Gothic/Metal

Description

I do not know of any better bands than Type O Negative when it comes to gothic music. The combination of keyboards (organs), heavy and low bass guitars, and Peter Steele’s low, vampiric, voice just makes it all work. That being said, this latest album release is mediocre compared to previously releases. The album meanders all over the place with long songs that probably should have been broken into separate pieces. The song “September Sun”, despite being one of my favorites, is a great example of a song unfocused. “Dead Again”, “Hail and Farewell to Britain” are songs worth checking out. “The Profit of Doom” is not bad either. All-in-all, this is an average release from a band that has done better.

I suggest you check out the album October Rust if you want to check out the best of what the band has to offer. Life is Killing Me is another great album that comes in second place to October Rust if you haven’t bought them already.

“Profit of Doom” Music Video

The following music will give you a taste of the band and their latest music:

Track List

1. HYPERPOWER!
2. The Beginning of the End
3. Survivalism
4. The Good Soldier
5. Vessel
6. Me, I’m Not
7. Capital G
8. My Violent Heart
9. The Warning
10. God Given
11. Meet Your Master
12. The Greater Good
13. The Great Destroyer
14. Another Version Of The Truth
15. In This Twilight
16. Zero-Sum

Genre

Industrial

Description

Nine Inch Nails’ latest album, Year Zero, does not disappoint. It is much more raw than their last couple of albums and a welcome change in my opinion. It is also a politically charged album with a bunch of references to our current president and the war in Iraq. I particularly love the beginning of the album with the energetic “HYPERPOWER!” and “The Beginning of the End”. The rest of the album is just as good as the start with a few misses here and there. “Capital G” and “God Given” are great songs to check out. Finally, the ending of the album is perfect with the much slower “In This Twilight” and “Zero-Sum” songs.

“Survivalism” Music Video

Well, it is more audio than it is video but it’ll give you a taste.

“In This Twilight” Music Video

This song is one of my personal favorites. The music video is not an official Nine Inch Nails music video but the images (some taken from War of the Worlds) is quite powerful and rather fitting for this song:

© Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank

Track List

1. March Into The Sea
2. Dashboard
3. Fire It Up
4. Florida
5. Parting Of The Sensory
6. Missed The Boat
7. We’ve Got Everything
8. Fly Trapped In A Jar
9. Education
10. Little Motel
11. Steam Engenius
12. Spitting Venom
13. People As Places As People
14. Invisible

Genre

Rock/Alternative

Description

We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank is roughly the sixth studio album by Modest Mouse and a fantastic one that that! They really started to gain mass popularity with their last album: Good News For People Who Love Bad News. Another album that should be added to your collection. Anyway, their latest album is fantastic with well devised lyrics, multiple instrumentation, and several layers of melodic changes per song.

I love every song on this album except “We’ve Got Everything” which has some slightly annoying background singing. Other than that, I haven’t been able to put the album down for the last couple of weeks.

“Dashboard” Music Video

Check out the currently popular “Dashboard” video to get a taste of the new album (it is amusing to watch):

“Missed The Boat” Music Video

This is a stop motion video put together by a Max Tyrie and a couple of friends:

© Vandals: Hitler Bad, Vandals Good

Track List

1. People That Are Going To Hell
2. Cafe 405
3. My Girlfriend’s Dead
4. I Know, Huh?
5. Money’s not an Issue
6. I’ve Got an Ape Drape
7. If the Government Could Read My Mind
8. Too Much Drama
9. Come Out Fighting
10. Euro-Barge
11. F’d Up Girl
12. An Idea for a Movie
13. OK
14. So Long, Farewell

Genre

Punk

Description

I have never been a huge fan of punk music but my friend Jon, who always has great taste in music, recommended that I check these guys out. To my surprise I really enjoy the album and am now starting take other artists in this genre more seriously.

In the case of this album, it is the combination of the humorous lyrics and catchy rhythms that really caught me off guard. The lyrics on this album are really great though. Make sure to check out “My Girlfriend’s Dead”, “Money’s Not an Issue”, and “F’d Up Girl”. The cover of “So Long, Far Well” from The Sound of Music ends this album perfectly too.

If you already love punk music or just want to test the waters, definitely give this album a listen.

Nine Lives is a box set of nine CDs and one DVD that includes twenty music videos and one sixty minute interview that spans Robert Plant’s career since the dissolution of the famous classic rock band Led Zeppelin. Upon picking up the box set you are greeted with excellent cover art:

© Robert Plant

…and it continues on the back:

© Robert Plant

It does not stop there as there is a sixty page booklet that provides more background on Robert Plant in addition to what you will view in the DVD interview. The booklet also sheds light on each of the nine albums as well. I found it very interesting to see that Phil Collins played drums the very first two albums of his solo career, Paul Shaffer played the piano on The Honeydrippers album, and even Jimmy Page made appearances on the The Honeydrippers and Now and Zen albums.

Having been a Led Zeppelin fan since my mid-teen years, I found this to be an amazing treasure. Something which I have totally missed out on until now. I do have other works by former members of Led Zeppelin such as:

• No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded
• Jimmy Page and Robert Plant: Walking into Clarksdale
• Coverdale Page

…but I have never followed closely what Robert Plant has done in his solo career. I am blown away by the amount of content and the shear diversity of it all. I have to admit that there is some questionable material. Especially his earlier works where he uses synthesizers heavily. Even his music videos are hilarious to watch. He definitely embraced the medium but I think he missed the boat on just what you can do with video. No matter, his voice is legendary and so is some of his later works as they really show his breadth of musical prowess.

The following is the list of albums contained in the box set complete with track listings:

Pictures at Eleven (1982)

1. Burning Down One Side
2. Moonlight In Samosa
3. Pledge Pin
4. Slow Dancer
5. Worse Than Detroit
6. Fat Lip
7. Like I’ve Never Been Gone
8. Mystery Title
9. Far Post [Previously Unreleased]
10. Like I’ve Never Been Gone [Live]

The Principle of the Moments (1983)

1. Other Arms
2. In The Mood
3. Messin’ With The Mekon
4. Wreckless Love
5. Thru With The Two Step
6. Horizontal Departure
7. Stranger Here…Than Over There
8. Big Log
9. In The Mood [Live]
10. Thru With The Two Step [Live]
11. Lively Up Yourself [Live]
12. Turnaround [Previously Unreleased]

The Honeydrippers: Volume One (1984)

1. I Get A Thrill
2. Sea Of Love
3. I Got A Woman
4. Young Boy Blues
5. Rockin’ At Midnight
6. Rockin’ At Midnight [Previously Unreleased]

Shaken ‘n’ Stirred (1985)

1. Hip To Hoo
2. Kallalou Kallalou
3. Too Loud
4. Trouble Your Money
5. Pink And Black
6. Little By Little
7. Doo Doo A Do Do
8. Easily Lead
9. Sixes And Sevens
10. Little By Little [Remix]

Now And Zen (1988)

1. Heaven Knows
2. Dance On My Own
3. Tall Cool One
4. The Way I Feel
5. Helen Of Troy
6. Billy’s Revenge
7. Ship Of Fools
8. Why
9. White, Clean And Neat
10. Walking Towards Paradise
11. Billy’s Revenge [Live]
12. Ship Of Fools [Live]
13. Tall Cool One [Live]

Manic Nirvana (1990)

1. Hurting Kind (I’ve Got My Eyes On You)
2. Big Love
3. SSS & Q
4. I Cried
5. She Said
6. Nirvana
7. Tie Dye On The Highway
8. Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night
9. Anniversary
10. Liars Dance
11. Watching You
12. Oompa (Watery Bint)
13. One Love
14. Don’t Look Back

Fate of Nations (1993)

1. Calling To You
2. Down To The Sea
3. Come Into My Life
4. I Believe
5. 29 Palms
6. Memory Song (Hello Hello)
7. If I Were A Carpenter
8. Promised Land
9. The Greatest Gift
10. Great Spirit
11. Network News
12. Colours Of A Shade [Previously Unreleased)
13. Great Spirit [Acoustic Mix]
14. Rollercoaster [Previously Unreleased]
15. 8:05 [Previously Unreleased]
16. Dark Moon [Acoustic Mix]

Dreamland (2002)

1. Funny In My Mind (I Believe I’m Fixn’ To Die)
2. Morning Dew
3. One More Cup Of Coffee
4. Last Time I Saw Her
5. Song To The Siren
6. Win My Train Fare Home (If I Ever Get Lucky)
7. Darkness, Darkness
8. Red Dress
9. Hey Joe
10. Skip’s Song
11. Dirt In A Hole
12. Last Time I Saw Her [Remix]

Mighty Rearranger (2005)

1. Another Tribe
2. Shine It All Around
3. Freedom Fries
4. Tin Pan Valley
5. All The King’s Horses
6. The Enchanter
7. Takamba
8. Dancing In Heaven
9. Somebody Knocking
10. Let The Four Winds Blow
11. Mighty Rearranger
12. Brother Ray
13. Red, White And Blue
14. All The Money In The World
15. Shine It All Around [Girls Remix]
16. Tin Pan Valley [Girls Remix]
17. The Enchanter [Unkle Reconstruction]

Genre

Rock

Parting Thoughts

This is definitely a box set worth picking up for the Led Zeppelin enthusiasts or for those who love listening to artists that constantly change and keep expanding their horizons. Pop in a disk or two in your sound system, lie back on the couch, and enjoy the music!

© Robert Plant

I first heard about Gabriela Montero on 60 Minutes but you can also learn about her on NPR as well as other sites. She is a classical pianist that can turn random tunes, popular songs, etc into masterful classical improvisions.

If you are into this kind of music, you might check out her official web site or try to see her in person as it seems that her on stage performance would outshine anything you bought on record.

© Muse: Black Holes & Revelations

Track List

1. Take A Bow
2. Starlight
3. Supermassive Black Hole
4. Map Of The Problematique
5. Soldier’s Poem
6. Invincible
7. Assassin
8. Exo-Politics
9. City Of Delusion
10. Hoodoo
11. Knights Of Cydonia

Genre

Alternative

Description

Kate first discovered this album and got me into this group. At first I was skeptical but as I listened to the album more I grew to like it and now I can not put it down. I love the use of synths, piano, and rock guitar. My favorite songs are Starlight and Knights Of Cydonia but the entire album is great and also easy to listen to from beginning to end. This is Muse’s fifth album release. I definitely recommend buying this album!

Knights Of Cydonia Music Video