06/29, 2007
Friday night poker
Well i did much better than last time! Instead of losing all $20, I only lost $8.50. Maybe next time I break even!
Archive for June, 2007
06/11, 2007
Chris Cornell: Carry On
Much like he did with his first solo album, Euphoria Morning, Chris Cornell has followed a few years of rocking hard with a collection of songs that put on full display his talent as a singer and songwriter. Don’t let the so-called critics fool you, this is an incredible album. Shame on Rolling Stone’s recent review. 2 stars?! Come on, Rob Sheffield, get your head out of your ass.
“But his talent is for mindless wailing, hitting money notes in the high-grunge style, and he has no knack at all for the subtle sound he’s trying now.” Really , Rob? Give me a break. Did you even listen to all of the album? If Chris were to follow your advice then I’m sure you would have accused him of being one-dimensional and living in the past. One thing that you did get right in that review is that “Superunknown” is an incredible album that sounds just as good as it did, if not better, than when it was released 13 years ago. I , too, miss that era from the late 80’s to mid-90’s when incredible new rock music was all over the place. Bands like The Pixies, Jane’s Addiction, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, and more changed the whole makeup of rock music. But that was then….
Let’s get to the now.
Carry On begins with “No Such Thing”. This song instantly makes you think of Soundgarden with the opening riffs but then quickly becomes pure Chris Cornell once the verse begins.This song is both heavy and melodic. We’re off to a good start.
“Posion Eye” follows and doesn’t disappoint. This one has nice quirky chord progression that is in line with many of his songs throughout his career.
I heard you singing
I know this song
It’s my turn to write
I put this hook inside
So you won’t soon forget
I got the radar
I can see so farWith my poison eye
So true.
“Arms Around Your Love” could and may end up being a single. It’s kind of a heavy ballad and is a great song about heartbreak and loss. It’s about a guy who lost his girl because he never told her how much she meant to him and must now suffer the cost by seeing her with someone else.
“Safe and Sound” is a bluesy ballad that features another chorus that makes you want to sing. This one has Chris dreaming of a better world to live in. “I’ve never seen but I believe in a promised land.”, he sings. “Why can’t we pull this together, We can say we finally found a world around us, Safe and sound.”
“She’ll Never Be Your Man” is a great sounding song. Seems to me that this is about a guy who lost his girl to another girl.
“Ghosts” might as well be dedicated to Rob Sheffield. It’s about someone from his past who expects him to be who he was a long time ago, but he has grown and is now different. He doesn’t want to go back and thinks she should just leave if she can’t hang with that!
“Killing Birds” is very interesting lyrically. Let’s just say the character has come to terms with who he is. What he is just so happens to be a murderer. Makes me think of “Dexter.”
Here’s the shocker of the album: “Billie Jean”. Yes, the very song that catapulted Michael Jackson into the pop stratosphere. Chris completely strips the song down and gives it some soul and heart. Now this song is dark and almost haunting. According to Chris, this song came about from a conversation with his wife about unlikely covers. I never would have been able to mentally picture this song being done in this style. But is works, well.
“Scar on the Sky” would have fit nicely with the rest of the songs on Euphoria Morning. It’s a pretty uplifting song about how nothing else matters when he is with his love and how that love keeps him alive.
The first few notes of “Your Soul Today” instantly recalls the Rolling Stones. In typical Cornell fashion, it features hook-worthy chord progressions and a sing-along chorus.
“Finally Forever” is another melodic slow number.
“Silence the Voices” is the one political statement on the album. It has to do with questioning the logic of our leaders when it comes to making the decision to send us to war, knowing that many innocent men, women, and children will be killed via collateral damage. “I can’t understand how they silence the voices that say no….”
An acoustic version of “Disappearing Act” was featured in the closing credits of the movie “Bug”, which was a really bad movie from what I hear. This version features a full band arrangement.
The final track is “You Know My Name” from the movie Casino Royale. Truth be told, this one grew on me. The subtleties creep up on you. Combine Chris’ powerful voice and songwriting with familiar elements of the James Bond theme and you get a great song. I put this one right up there Duran Duran’s “A View to a Kill” and McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” as the best Bond theme songs of all time. The lyrics really match the new vibe that Daniel Craig (and the writers) give to Bond; dark. Also interesting is that it is as if the words are coming from M.
Arm yourself because no-one else here will save you
The odds will betray you
And I will replace you
You can’t deny the prize; it may never fulfill you
It longs to kill you
Are you willing to dieThe coldest blood runs through my veins
You know my name
It’s always harder to adjust to change especially if you liked the way things were to begin with. Many people hated Euphoria Morning when it came out because it wasn’t Soundgarden. People hated on Audio slave because it wasn’t Rage Against the Machine. Now I see reviews slamming this album because it’s not Soundgarden or Audioslave. Come on, people! All it takes is a few listens and these songs creep into your head. All of the elements that Chris Cornell brought to Soundgarden and Audioslave are all here, just listen for them. Any fan who was in love with “Seasons”, from the movie Singles will be delighted with this album just as they were with Euphoria Morning. You just can’t go wrong with the songwriting and vocal talent that Cornell possess.
Links to iTunes Music Store
06/04, 2007
My Musical Evolution: 1968-1972
Like many of you out there, music played a big part in how I became who I am. We all tend to attach ourselves to an artist or band. They speak to us in some way or another; be it the words they write, the sounds they make, the clothes they wear, the causes they stand for, or maybe it’s their persona or attitude. Whatever the reasons, many of us use music to define who we are.
It’s an awesome feeling finding that new band or artist that simply blows you away. This may happen frequently when you are young. There is so much music to discover. As you get older, however, this tends to happen less and less for most. I’m sure the reasons are many. For me, it is simply a matter of not being exposed to a wide range of music as I used to be. It’s so easy to dismiss a lot new music when you are older. In my case, it’s just harder for a new band to impress me. If I hear a band that sounds like Soundgarden to me, I generally dismiss them and go listen to some Soundgarden. I realize that this is not entirely fair but hey, it’s just how it is, for me at least. There have been times where I have dismissed a band only to discover them later. Maybe a friend told me about other songs on the album. Maybe I heard some other album tracks on XM. I blame the industry. Terrestrial radio might as well be a musical wasteland. I discover more cool music from TV commercials than I do from regular radio. I resent being told what is cool by a bunch of suits who wouldn’t know cool if it was oozing out of their ears. But that is another post for another time.
This article explores my musical evolution. This includes music that I remember my parents playing frequently, or songs I heard on the radio during that time. Some songs attach themselves to a particular experience that you had at the time. I’m sure many people who were kids in the 70’s will have visions of a skating rink when they hear a particular old song. Maybe you will have a flash of an old girlfriend/boyfriend when another song plays. You may even recall smells and sounds of a past experience when you hear a certain song.
Let’s start things off by recalling music from my first 5 years of life.
1968 - 1972
I was born in 1968. I don’t really recall much from my first 2 or 3 years. But around the age of 3 or 4, I can remember hearing many songs in the car or on the radio. There are 3 artists that stand out in my memory. All three of them were played frequently in the car. I can still remember the 8-tracks as if it were yesterday!
The Grass Roots
My first “favorite” band would have to be The Grass Roots. My parents had “Their 16 Greatest Hits” on 8-track, which was released in 1971. This was one of the first albums that I owned once I got my first record player. My Mom had got remarried in ‘74 or ‘75 and my stepfather had gotten it for me, as well as the “Feelings” and “Lovin’ Things” albums. To this day I will still put on some Grass Roots on occassion.
Samples of some of my favorite Grass Roots songs: (links to iTunes Music Store)
Neil Young
Another 8-track that I remember being played a lot was Neil Young’s “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere”, which came out in 1969. Great album then, even better now! Neil has had an amazing career and this album still ranks as one of his best.
Samples of some standout tracks from this album: (links to iTunes Music Store)
Neil Diamond
“Shilo” was a greatest hits package comprised of his early stuff. This album was released in 1970. Like the Grass Roots, this was mostly upbeat music that someone under 5 could enjoy. And I did. Granted, I never did become such a fan that I ultimately explored his whole body of work, but this album made such an impression on me at an early age that many of these songs remain my favorite by Neil Diamond.
Samples of some standout tracks from this album: (links to iTunes Music Store)
So there it is; music I remember the most from my first 5 years of life. Next up, I will cover the rest of the 70’s and stop in 1981 which is the year after the emergence of MTV. This era starts with Elvis, moves on to The Beatles and all things Beatles-related, Disco, and then ends with my transition into modern music which began with Blondie.
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