Key

Hit & Miss of 2013 so far (UPDATE 9/18/2013)

Hit:
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Coheed & Cambria - The Afterman: Descension
Killswitch Engage - Disarm The Descent
Rob Zombie - Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor
Black Sabbath - 13
Tesseract - Altered State
Children of Bodom - Halo of Blood
Megadeth - Super Collider
City & Colour - The Hurry And The Harm
Avenged Sevenfold - Hail To The King
Dream Theater - Dream Theater
God Is An Astronaut - Origins
David Bowie - The Next Day

Miss:
Bullet For My Valentine - Temper Temper
Bring Me The Horizon - Sempiternal
Streetlight Manifesto - The Hands That Thieve
Sigur Ros - Kveikur
Depeche Mode - Delta Machine
Asking Alexandria - From Death To Destiny

Still need to listen to:
Blackfield - Blackfield IV
Trivium - Vengeance Falls
Riverside - Shrine of New Generation Slaves
Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)
Omnium Gatherum - Beyond
Linkin Park - Living Things
Deep Purple - Now What?!
Joe Satriani - Unstoppable Momentum
Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action
Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks

--Keep in mind, some albums may shift from Hit/Miss to Miss/Hit with the more listens I give the albums. The final list won't be submitted until the last day of 2013, so expect constant changes overtime.--

Key

Number 8 out of 15: Bullet For My Valentine - The Poison



With the unfortunate lack of effort put into their recent album "Temper Temper", I figured it'd be worthwile to mention an album or two of theirs that I really do enjoy from them, one of which being "The Poison". At first finding out about this band, I had people telling me from left to right "don't even bother, this band sucks", but i'm not one to take an opinion about a band too seriously before even giving the band a listen. At the time, I found their music rather enjoyable, so I went on one of those wonderful listening sprees and decided that I really did and do like this band. The Poison being the first album I ever listened to, was also my introduction to the band, so in many ways it was an overall good experience with the band. Tears Don't Fall, All These Things I Hate, and many others are top notch tracks on the album, and as a whole, the album is very fun and enjoyable to listen to. Years past and I still find myself giving this album a listen for old times sake. It's got a bit of a nostalgic feel to it now which in it's own respect, makes it an even more fun album to listen to.

With very minimal research, I also came to find that this album was their debut, which brings up the question..."what happened???". With releases like Scream Aim Fire, and Fever coming after their debut, why was Temper Temper so bad? I mean...it's not just me that thinks that, it's the popular opinion as well as the opinion of most critics. I won't go too far into this one since I already did a review of the album.

I hope the negative reviews they received about that album will hopefully wake them up and get back into the days of The Poison, because that's the only way I can see them redeem themselves. Now that I think of it, I don't even own a copy of The Poison, but I constantly remind myself how much fun the opening riff to Tears Don't Fall is to play.

If I were to only have one album by them on a stranded island, it'd be this one. And maybe i'd sneak Scream Aim Fire with me.

Key

So if you're lonely, you know I'm here waiting for you.


Franz Ferdinand. A band well known across many music boards and websites of the like. But what is it about them that makes them so appealing? Is it their sound? Is it their ability to keep with the music they like? Well...

...Personally, I find them to be one of the greatest indie rock bands to come around in the last 15 years. Since 2004, they've released four albums including their debut Franz Ferdinand. Since then, it may seem to some people that they haven't grown musically or changed, but in this case, I find that they have grown, if only for the fact that they've gotten to the point that they will create music for the sheer enjoyment of what they like. With their recent release, "Right Words, Right Thoughts, Right Action" that remains to be true. I was skeptical at first because it had been a few years since their last release which I really really enjoyed, and at the time of hearing about their new material, I was hoping they didn't sell out and give in to temptation and release an album that is poor to the ears. That was not the case however, since "Right Words, Right Thoughts, Right Action" has quickly become one of their more mature, and easily listenable album in their catalog. They've grown since 2002, both as a band, and lyrically throughout their albums. The new material is nothing short of amazing, and I can only hope it gets better the more I listen to it, as it most likely will.

As a band, I don't know if there is much hype about them since I'm only going from personal experience. I see their name being dropped many times, and it's rare to see someone speak of them in a negative way, even if it is to discuss a few songs. I remember when they released their debut in 2004, I was all over it, because I had seen the video for "Take Me Out" many times on MTV and I thought the video alone was awesome. It convinced me enough to listen to the album as a whole, and to no surprise, it was amazing.

The verdict for this band is probably obvious, but i'll say it anyway:



They are definitely worth the hype they receive even if it isn't much to begin with. But when people speak about them, it's no surprise that they receive such positive feedback. I have yet to see them live, but I know people who have, and they are said to put on a fantastic show. With the new album out, I'm hoping they can make their way over to the lovely rainy city, so that I have a chance to see them.

Key

I think it's time to start talking about live shows, specifically ones I have been to and ones I have been so very fortunate to see. I do consider myself lucky for some of them, and others I am just happy I have seen and have seen multiple times. I'll start off with one that has a great story leading up to it, and will always mark one of the best moments in my life.

Tool (Everett Events Center)



I have a really cool story for this one, so I figured it'd be a good way to start. A few years ago, my dad had informed me that Tool would be playing at the Everett Events Center in Washington. That alone got me excited about the fact that Tool are FINALLY making their way over here and I may have a chance to see them perform live. About a week passed and my dad told me that I should call the Everett Events Center to order some tickets to go to the show because him and I were both completely convinced that we wanted to go. That next morning, I decided to give the venue a call, and I was on hold for what felt like 3 hours at least. After the first hour had passed I was feeling a bit nervous and I wasn't convinced that I would get through to get some tickets because I imagine the phone lines were beyond busy. About another hour passed and my phone went silent, and I hear "hello, welcome to the Everett Events Center phone line, how may I assist you?", at that point I almost lost it, I told the nice lady that I was interested in purchasing four (yes, FOUR) Tool tickets, she informed me that I was a very lucky man because she says that I was one of the last people to have a chance to have gotten a ticket, let alone four. I gave them the credit card number my dad provided, and she confirmed that there will be four Tool tickets arriving at my address in a week or so. I was literally about to scream at that point because something like this had never happened to me, and it made me realize that patience can really be worth it. That afternoon when my dad got home from work, I was playing a little game with him and told him I couldn't get a Tool ticket, but instead I got FOUR. He was super excited and extremely happy to hear the good news since he was expecting the worst, as anybody would.

Now for the show. The track line up was as follows:

They didn't hold anything back, they played all the songs I had hoped they would play and I got to see the beautiful combination of Wings for Marie and 10,000 Days performed live. I had absolutely fallen in love with that mix when the album was released, but I had no way thought that I'd see it performed live. So that was cool. The best part of the entire show was easily the light show. Tool have been known to have some amazing album art and artwork in general, and to see the ENTIRE stage covered in the corresponding album art, was just amazing. It wasn't just the TV's above them that were showing the images, they had the stage, the reflections on the drums, etc all covered in the art work that corresponded to the album that they were performing. People have told me that Maynard Keenan hadn't been at his best during their time in Seattle, but he was nothing short of amazing. He stayed in the back because he doesn't want the main focus on him, he wants people to appreciate the guitarist, and the rest of the band. Truly an amazing experience and one of the best concerts I have seen.

Keep an eye on this because I do have many other shows that I have been very fortunate to see. This is just one of them, and I have stories for each one.

Key

Well it looks like i'm having another case of writers block. I've been trying to write an entry that involves around Rob Zombie's recent activity, but I can't seem to get the words to form, so instead, I guess i'll just lightly mention them and talk about them, that's the best I can do.

So...first off, we have Rob Zombie's recent music album Venemous Rat Regeneration Vendor. It's no surprise that the man is still active as he never seems to get stale with each album he releases, this one being in that category as well, seeing as this new album is possibly one of his heaviest albums to date, and that includes Hellbilly Deluxe, and that also includes my opinion of Hellbilly Deluxe which is kept in very high regard towards the album. As far as the album goes in general, it's definitely one of the most creative and headache inducing from headbanging album I have heard all year. The flow is awesome, Rob Zombie's voice does not stray away from his heavy nasty gritty sound, and of course, you get the typical movie scenes in the music structure that you would find in any Rob Zombie album. In my top 10 of the year, and along with this album was a movie that I mentioned earlier, respectfully titled...

Lords of Salem



A review is pending on this movie since I have yet to see this, but I wanted to mention it since both the movie and the music album were released this year close to one another.

Key

Hit:
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Coheed & Cambria - The Afterman: Descension
Killswitch Engage - Disarm The Descent
Rob Zombie - Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor
Black Sabbath - 13
Tesseract - Altered State
Children of Bodom - Halo of Blood
Megadeth - Super Collider
City & Colour - The Hurry And The Harm
Avenged Sevenfold - Hail To The King
Dream Theater - Dream Theater
God Is An Astronaut - Origins
David Bowie - The Next Day
Riverside - Shrine of New Generation Slaves
Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action

Miss:
Bullet For My Valentine - Temper Temper
Bring Me The Horizon - Sempiternal
Streetlight Manifesto - The Hands That Thieve
Sigur Ros - Kveikur
Depeche Mode - Delta Machine
Asking Alexandria - From Death To Destiny
Deep Purple - Now What?!

Still need to listen to:
Blackfield - Blackfield IV
Trivium - Vengeance Falls
Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)
Omnium Gatherum - Beyond
Linkin Park - Living Things
Joe Satriani - Unstoppable Momentum
Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks

Key

Something I can't stand is why people should be allowed to cover songs and do a terrible job at them. There are a lot out there that really just make me want to rip my ears off, and I figured this would be a great place to discuss it. Unfortunately, I also hear them everyday at work (retail radio is exhausting after a while), so I have no problem remembering the ones I wish to discuss, and more will come i'm sure.

Anyway, let's start with this one...

American Pie
Original: Don McLean
Cover: Madonna


This is one of those examples of songs that I have to listen to everyday because it plays everyday at work. American Pie is a classic, and was released on the American Pie album in 1971. For some ungodly reason, there was a cover released of the same song by Madonna. Now...don't get so antsy, I don't have anything against Madonna, nor do I think she has a terrible voice, but...why in gods name did she think it was of acceptable behavior to cover an already perfectly performed song? She has her own music career, so she should just stick to what she already knows. I don't care if the reasoning had anything to do with "wanting to bring back a classic", because this isn't one of those instances where it's acceptable, at least in my unchanging opinion. Don McLean released it and that's the way it should have stayed. I see no reason for an already perfect song to be released by anybody else.

Madonna is a big name, I get that, and people wouldn't think twice if they heard her cover because not a lot of people born in the last 20 years recognize Don McLean nor would they be able to get an image in their head of what he looks like. In my opinion, and not only with this song, their should be a disclaimer before a cover is played either on the radio or whatever, someone should start by saying "this song is a cover of [song name] by [artist]", that way there is still some connection with the original artist, instead of people just hearing the cover and thinking it's the original. Will that ever happen? Probably not. Will terrible covers seize to exist? Hell no. But that's just how the world works. Stay tuned for more.

Key

It's that time again! This song has been stuck in my head for the last week or so, and it feels amazing to finally be able to listen to it.

Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now


This song is so damn catchy, and I was familiar with Thompson Twins before hearing this song, but this song plays at my work all the time, and it plays at the grocery store a lot, so i'm never really too far from hearing it over and over again. I've got no problem listening to it either, it's by an awesome 80's group, it's got that catchy 80's sound, and it's just an all around great song.

Key

With the year coming close to it's final months, bands and solo artists are still finding ways to get their new material out before the year ends. Here's a few more that I am eager to listen to:

Paul McCartney - New

Yes, the album is titled "New", and for someone as legendary as Sir Paul McCartney, I see no problem with such a cliche album title. The album is actually said to be released on the 14th, so upon finding out about it (yesterday), I went to look and see when it's said to be released, and was very excited about the short wait. I, unfortunately don't listen to Paul McCartney as I should, but I do know he's still going strong and that I really should get onto listening to his music. Hearing the single "New" has already gotten me excited, and am very eager to get my sweaty palms on the new album. It's going to be good.

AFI - Burials

AFI is a band that I have not listened to in years, and not for the reason that I think they're bad, I just never got interested in them again since Decemberunderground. Perhaps this new album will relinquish that feeling and I'll come to be a fan again. I'm really looking forward to this album though mostly because I just want to hear if it's any different than what I heard from them a few years back.

Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP 2

This is one of those albums that I hope makes my top list of 2013, because I am always ready to hear new material from Eminem. I remember really enjoying Recovery, and I remember how much I hated Relapse, but hey...it's understandable. I haven't listened to any of the singles released from this album because I really don't want to have the album feel stale once I get it. I want it to feel complete and new. Looking forward to this one.

Key

Trivium - Vengeance Falls



After absolutely loving In Waves, I was pretty dead set on the fact that Trivium may not release that great of an album again, and than they release Vengeance Falls. I'm not really a huge fan of the album title, it sounds very cliche, but others have said the opposite, so it may just be me.

This is one of the albums I was looking forward to this year, and I am very happy it has delivered as good as it has. When I heard it'd be produced by David Draiman, I was a little skeptical since I didn't want this album to sound like a Disturbed knock off, but it doesn't really have that feel to it. It's definitely got the heavy factor that I have come to expect from this band, perhaps more than I was expecting. Guitar solos are definitely top notch, and Matt Heafy has always been pretty good lyrically. It's not even close to the atrocious lyrics of Temper Temper (Bullet for my Valentine).

I really enjoy listening to a Trivium album over and over again, because I feel like the replay value allows to hear different things each time, and I find myself being surprised by new things each time. For example, when I first heard Shogun, I didn't find a lot of enjoyment out of it, but I got around to listening to it again a few weeks ago, and it blew my socks off. I wasn't even sure what it was that I didn't like about it, but it became irrelevant. Same thing with The Crusade.

I already have a lot of favorite tracks off Vengeance Falls, but the one that sticks out the most is probably Strife. It starts off beautifully, and keeps the shock value of heavy above anything else throughout the entire song. And again, the lyrics are pretty top notch. As mentioned before, this album definitely does a good job at that, I don't find the lyrics corny in any way.

In terms of where this album lays on the scale of favorite albums by them, it probably still sits under In Waves (being number 1) only because In Waves surprised me in so many ways, one being the fact that it is such a long album, and each song has it's own individuality that makes it such an enjoyable album. This one has that same effect, but it stills feels very new, perhaps the placement of this album will change over time, but I have definitely enjoyed listening to this album, and waiting the whole year has been more than worth it. Very happy with this, and can't wait to get myself a copy.