Happy Independent Blog Day!

Hallo folks. It’s been quite a week. As we sit back and think about the invention of America, we must reflect on all the stuff we blowed up real good. I am also realizing it has almost been an entire year since I started writing these reviews. In fact my first review blog was on July 8 of last year. So, I suppose I should have waited a week to post that fact. But whatevs, I might not even blog next week. So yeah, that’s interesting. Here’s some stats for ya!

I have posted 32 blogs, with 5 reviews each, so I have reviewed 160 records. Wow. That actually surprises me. My weakest month was November, with only 1 post, but I made up for it, with 4 posts each the next two months. Overall, a successful experiment, I have felt really good, writing these and delivering you, my fans, a heaping helping of cool records to give a listen to. I hope you all have enjoyed it. Let’s make it 200 records for the next year!

Tony Cox – Unpublished – ***1/2 – A fantastic record from this guy, which in the end plays out much like a Dodgy record, using the singing and playing of Nigel. But all the songs are written by Tony Cox, which definitely gives it a new flavor. Tony seems to be a very good songwriter and producer.

The Smithereens – Play Tommy – *** – I’ve never really listened to Tommy, with the exception of Pinball Wizard. I’ve also seen a few clips from the movie, so I was well informed about it. So it’s interesting to hear this tribute first. I liked it quite a bit, there is definitely the Smithereens flair to the whole thing, which is good.

The Simple Carnival – Girls Aliens Food – ***1/2 – A really fun record, very Beach Boys/Brian Wilson-esque. I like how it kind of takes this template, which many have used, but makes it sound interesting by subverting things, both lyrically and musically. Whether it’s singing from odd persepctives, or playing strange sound effects or instruments, makes for a very interesting experience.

Michael Carpenter – Redemption #39 – *** – You really can’t go wrong with Michael Carpenter. This album carries on the great tradition of his music, adding a bit more of the alt.country elements as well. Overall a good listen, and fun album.

Former – And Nothing But The Truth – **1/2 – A nice example of this heavier pop sound, very good clean soaring rock/pop. A little on the long side, but still enjoyable. Great in small doses.

I’ve hit the big time!

Hey all my loyal fans and readers, just wanted to send out a message to let you know that you’re OK. Just keep on keeping on, my friends. Hey, if you enjoy the blog, why not let your friends know. You know, we can’t just keep these things to ourselves. And with your help, we can raise the awareness of this blog ten-fold. Oh yeah! Let’s make this happen! Keep hip!

Mandy Moore – Amanda Leigh – **** – I can’t help it! I love it too much. I don’t know what it is about Mike Viola and his latest batch of albums and collaborations that just make me go crazy, but it does, and this is no exception. Finally, a Mandy Moore album, which I am with 100%, the last two were good, but I still felt a bit unsure of them. This album matches her style well, and works just great.

Office – Mecca – ***1/2 – Well, they say never to look a gift horse in the mouth, but here goes nothing. This, the second album by Office, was offered by the band for free online. As I was a fan of their first, I snatched it up, and it was great. I think it might even be better than the first. It seems like they have found their sound, and feel comfortable in it.

Greg Pope – PETE EP – *** – Fun little thing from Mr. Pope. Fun, groovy power pop.

Broken Promise Keeper – Ice Cold Pop – *** – Good solid power-pop from this one-man band. Very reminiscent of Shoes, definitely more of an indie-pop sound as well.

Rhett Miller – Rhett Miller – ***1/2 – I have enjoyed both of Rhett’s previous solo albums, though I found the second one had to grow on me a bit. I think the same is the case of this album. It is enjoyable on first listen, but will probably take a couple more listens to let the hooks sink in, and really take hold. I still recommend it though!

Music reviews – no joke!

OK, fun fun fun, that’s what this is. We’ve got a groovy set of reviews for you this week. I literally cannot come up with anything interesting to say, and you people are probably sick of my rambling. I bet you’d like me to just shut up and get on to the reviews. And I understand that, I hate it when bloggers just go on and on about whatever is important to them, and never even regard their potential audience. Like it’s like do we like really care? I mean for reals you guys and gals. So that’s why I’m gonna just move on to the reviews. Here you go, for your enjoyment, a set of reviews, that will literally climb into your brain and explode your very mind. Enjoy!

Franz Ferdinand – Tonight – **1/2 – Hmm… not sure what to say about this one. It was fine, but seemed a bit samey throughout and did not have as much as a variety of sounds and hooks to keep me interested for long.

Edward Guglielmino – Late At Night – ** – Interesting record. Really great songwriting and arranging, but falls apart a bit in the vocals department. He is a fine singer, but for the ambitious arrangements and songs, it doesn’t always fit. This can be seen when he has a guest vocalist on one track, who really brings something different to the mix.

Nerd Parade – The Span of a Life – *** – Interesting album from this band. Melding several influences, from atmospheric, harmonic, mid-tempo pop, hard guitars, etc. It makes for a familiar, but unique sound. Nice balance of male and female voices as well.

Jewel – Lullaby – **1/2 – OK, this sounds more like Jewel, definitely back to her folkier roots, this album is good, a bit long, and would probably do better putting parents asleep than their babies, but who knows.

Bleu – A Watched Pot – ***1/2 – At long last, Bleu’s album is being released. It is available to stream here (). I was so excited to be hearing this album, I had heard many early mixes, but the final mix and the way the album flows brings it all home, and it is great. You really can’t go wrong with Bleu, even with a few songs that sort of come out of left field, they are still interesting and may grow on me.