Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank

© 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

© 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.

Robert Plant: Nine Lives

© Robert Plant

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

Tags: Robert Plant

Gabriela Montero

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

© 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

The LaLa Store

LaLa, if you have not heard of it, is a CD trading service where you can list CDs that you have and CDs that you want. CD trades are one for one. Each CD that you trade from your have list will result in receiving a CD from your want list. All you do is pay for shipping and handling (roughly $1 per CD) and LaLa handles the rest. Learn about how it works or read a three part article by Ars Technica for more information.

I have been enjoying this service for some time now and discovered that opened up a store in addition to the trading service. Prices seem reasonable and it sounds like you can group CDs that you want to buy together in order to save on shipping and handling costs. Check it out:

…and in my want list, I see the option to buy the CDs that I want instead of waiting for the option to trade with some other user:

Tags: LaLa