End of Summer

Well dang it. Summer’s over now. Now time for me to fall into a crippling depression and hibernate until next spring. Can’t wait, can ya? Ah well, we will keep chugging along so I can at least give you all a taste of the new music that came out like three months ago. But hey, what else are you gonna do? Have a fun and festive fall friends!

Ninja Gun – Restless Rubes – *** – Pretty good, energetic power poppy album. Very well produced, and interesting, though I did not latch on to anything in particular. It’s got a good sound and I will probably revisit it at some point.

Roger Klug – More Help For Your Nerves – **** – One of the top releases so far this year. With an incredible energy and a bucketful of hooks, this album kicks off from the start and doesn’t stop kicking until the end. For the most part, it is great power pop, but he throws in some other musical styles, from showtunes to gypsy music and so on, which is cool. It’s so good!

Phil Keaggy & Randy Stonehill – Mystery Highway – ***1/2 – I have just recently delved deeply into the catalog of Phil Keaggy. It’s a mixed bag of guitar solos, beatle-esque vocals, interesting themes, some more standard christian-rock fare, and overall an interesting artist. This album really does everything I like about Phil Keaggy. It rocks, it has interesting themes, he even pulls out one of his classic Beatle-esque tunes with SUnday’s Child. Randy Stonehill, who I’m not too familiar with, really adds some more classic rock elements. Overall a fun, unique record, that stands tall among Keaggy’s other releases.

Art Brut – Art Brut vs. Satan – ***1/2 – A good, solid album from this band. They do their thing very well. Great, well thought out musical bed where the “singer” can lie comfortably and tell us all about his life and the things that’s he’s thinking. It hasn’t changed much over the course of three or so albums, but at the same time, do we want it to change? Keep it up fellas!

The Minus 5 – Killingsworth – *** – You never know quite what you’re going to get with a Minus 5 record. They have gone from power pop to alt country, and everywhere in between. What you do know, is that it will be an interesting ride. This latest effort is fairly poppy. Good songs, good lyrical content, and overall a good record.

MY NEW SONG AND VIDEO

It really Bloggles the mind

Hello there friends and enemies. I hope this letter is finding you well. I’m sure you’ve heard by now the really wonderful news. That’s right, this blog has become the number one source for misinformed and questionable judgement on all your favorite musics. Congratulations. Try to keep up, now would you? But, onward and upward, that’s what I always say. And today is no exception! Check out these sweeeeeet records, and let me know how you feel about them. Don’t wait! Participate!

Paul Gilbert & Freddie Nelson – United States – ***1/2 – I have to get a bit of heavy music every now and then, to really rock out. It’s always refreshing when I do, so I should probably do it more. But this album doesn’t just blast out sweet riffs and power through each song. There are some great melodies here, and cool rock/pop songs. Makes it great.

Adam Marsland – Go West – ***1/2 – Spanning two discs, and covering the last 20 or so years of Marsland’s life, this album takes you on a journey through many varied musical styles and song structures, but always stays true to Marsland’s lyrical depth, pop sensibility, and sense of humor. A winner!

Jeff Litman – Postscript – *** – A wonderful collection of pop-tastic tunes. The very well polished and engaging production style pulls you in, so you hear stories of love both found and lost, and the complications of life, all with the idea that everything will eventually turn out OK. Oh, and KELLY JONES is on one song!!

Son Volt – American Central Dust – **1/2 – Son Volt puts out a lot of music, and I really like the sound that they create, but I like to see a bit more growth in a band’s sound. Son Volt is a bit samey much of the time. With their last 2 albums, I saw a bit of that growth, but this one seems fairly one-note. Perhaps another listen would be good to let things sink in.

The Luxury – In The Wake of What Won’t Change – *** – A solid effort from this band. They blend a good mix of pop hooks, a bit of alt.country, and just approach it with so much gusto and bring you right into their world. Keep it up!