Soul Coughing -- El Oso

The third and final album from one of my favorite bands from high school Soul Coughing is called "El Oso". Though I really liked these guys in high school, my enjoyment of them has greatly diminished in the past couple years. I still like certain songs such as my favorite song on the album called Blame, and though M. Doughty is about the hardest person to understand, I still like his incoherent ramblings on this song. However in most of the other songs it just becomes asinine. When I say I liked these guys in high school, it's funny listening to this cd, because I only really liked 2 or 3 songs at best. The first album of theirs is the best, which can also probably be attributed to the inner tension in the band at the time this album was made, they had basically decided to break up before the album had been completed but still wanted to finish it. So the cd is probably the worst out of the three, but it still has a couple of songs that I'm sure I'll continue to listen to until the day I die.

I'm only recommending this to those that really like Soul Coughing, if you want to try them out, go with Ruby Vroom. Still I do like it a bit, and so 2 out of 4 stars seems reasonable to me.

Smashing Pumpkins -- Adore

Adore which is the Smashing Pumpkins' fourth cd, takes a radical turn from their earlier rock music and turns more towards electronic music. Yet they do still keep much of the sound that made them popular. In listening to this cd, I find I actually like it more then I expected. What's weird is the first single Ava Adore makes the cd sound like more of an industrial sound when it's actually more of a mellow laid back kind of cd. I really like Ava Adore and think it's the best song on the album. Perfect, the fourth song on the album is also a gem of a song, it feels like an ode to their early stuff back on Siamese Dream. The rest of the cd while good doesn't really have any breakthrough songs, it's a really nice cd if you want some relaxing rock songs though. The songs due flow well, yet the cd seems a little long. Now usually I'm not against a long cd, and usually I encourage it, but with the similarity in songs after Perfect, it's gets a little drab.

This is a good cd and anyone that likes The Smashing Pumpkins should look into it, also if you like softer alternative rock then I think you'd like it too. Overall I'm going to give it 3 stars, it's a good cd, not great, but good.

Particle -- Launchpad

It's been a while since the first song of a cd excited me as much as the title track of this Particle album called "Launchpad". Particle is one of the most interesting bands you'll ever find, take a jam band and give them a whole lot of electrical/techno equipment and let them go loose and you have Particle. I saw their cd today in a used bin for 3 dollars and knew I had to get, and after listening to the first song on the album, I would have bought it for 15 just for that song. But it doesn't stop there, they then gives us a cool off song that is a little more laid back in Metropolis, but then start back up the extreme rockin' with The Elevator. Then once again they give a funky yet relaxing follow up with Below Radar, then go into the uber-funky "The Banker". It's been a long time since I've had this kind of reaction off a first listen. This album is flawless, and maybe it's just cause it's my first time but I really think this cd will be going into very heavy rotation for me. Now I really want to see these guys live.

This one of the best buys I've gotten in a while. I know by my hyping it so much people may not like it that much but I still have to say this cd blew me away. If you can handle long song with no words and like funky rock, then I think you'd like this cd. I have to give it a resounding 4 out of 4 stars.

Pigeon John... Sings The Blues

I had a breif hiatus there, but now I'm back with Pigeon John. This is his third cd, and for every cd he has it starts with Pigeon John... (Then title of the cd). I'm doing Pigeon John's cd in honor of him coming to town this Friday. I'm going to go see him with Lyrics Born and Cut Chemist. The thing I like about Pigeon John is he has very interesting and clear lyrics to his songs. He mixes well also. For instance here's some of his lyrics I especially liked from one of his songs, it's just the beginning so it's not that long.

[Intro-talking]
Hey John, I'm glad you came
Uh, listen, um, your CDs aren't selling too well
And uh, we need you to start actually rapping (okay)
Because we signed you as a rapper
We gave you the money (yeah whatever, I'm seriously gonna get those sales)
I don't care, we need you to rap

[Pigeon John]
Well I'm trying not to sing, the same old song
But it's the same old people that all wanna sing along, right?
Now open the doors, open the blinds, let in the sunshine
Find a place to rest, deep in their minds
Cause times are changing
But really not, it's just the same old plot
It's just rearranging.

This cd especially is very bluesy, from what the title discribes. It's much more bluesy then his other cd I've listened to. This cd also wins the prize for the best design on the top of the cd. The one cd I don't like as much as the others is a remix of the song Emily from another cd, and it doesn't have the same power that the original has. But overall I really like this cd, it doesn't have as cool background stuff as the other guys in Quannum, but he has some of the coolest lyrics.

If you like the other stuff that Quannum productions has come out with you may end up liking Pigeon John. I thought this cd was done quite well, better then his last cd, and I think i'll enjoy him at the concert. But it's not quite the best, it's close though, so I'm giving it 3.5 out of 4 stars.

Soundgarden -- Superunknown

This is the fifth studio album by the hard rock/alternative band Soundgarden. It is deemed as their breakthrough album as it has a lot of their most famous songs including "Spoonman", "Fell on Black Days", and probably their most famous song, "Black Hole Sun". I originally got into this band because of a song on another album and I went ahead and bought this one too, though I've never really gotten into Soundgarden besides a couple of songs, mostly just the famous ones. This band feels a lot like Pearl Jam for me, which is another band I've never been able to get into. Once again i think my problem with this stuff, is my inability to comprehend the words, the music has to be catchy for me to listen to it more and then find out what they're saying, but the music of Soundgarden doesn't keep me very often. However, in listening to it, the last two songs, "Half" and "Like Suicide" were actually quite good and kept my attention, I hadn't ever really heard those two songs before.

So overall this is about a half and half cd when it comes to the songs, and as an album it doesn't feel like it flows as well as it could. So I'm going to give this one 2 out of 4 stars.

Radiohead -- Hail To The Theif

This is Radiohead's 6th album and is often viewed as the tie in cd, the cd which fuses the rock of early Radiohead with the electronic of later Radiohead. I am personally a bigger fan of the early Radiohead, but I do like the later stuff as well. In fact they're one of my top ten favorite bands/groups of all time. This cd is my favorite of the later 3 albums. I especially like the songs "2+2=5", "Backdrifts" and "Go To Sleep". Thinking also about this cd, I think this one is about their most started friendly, like if you haven't listened to their stuff before, i think this one would be a good one to start on. The end of the cd ends really well as well with "A Wolf At The Door". Overall I just find it to be a good cd and one of the best for the double zeros. I really like Thom, he's got such a good voice.

Anyways, I think this is a good cd to start on with Radiohead, and it's definatly in my top 3, it might even be my second favorite. Plus it's the longest which is a plus. 4 out of 4 stars.

Stone Temple Pilots -- Purple

Stone Temple Pilots is an alternative rock band form the 90s, Purple was their second cd and it had some of their biggest hits including the really good, "Interstate Love Song". This cd does about half and half for me, it has about half good songs, half I don't care for. The first half especially is really rockin, they have good songs and they mesh well together, then the second half sort of loses it's power. This is one of the better alternative cds of the 90s, and the band is one of my favorite alternative bands.

If you like alternative bands of the 90s, or just merely want to figure out what made the 90s so popular, this is a good cd to check out. I do like it quite a bit and keep it in my regular rotation. 3 out of 4 stars.

Iron and Wine -- Our Endless Numbered Days

Iron and Wine is the stage and recording name of solo artist Sam Bean. He uses a very light and airy sound. His music mostly consists of acoustic guitar, banjos and slide guitars, all of which he plays himself and overlays them on top of each other. His sound is very similar to Ben Harper and The John Butler Trio, and basically any solo acoustic guitarist. It just feels like it's been done so many times before that unless you have some cool version of it then you shouldn't do it anymore. This is a nice sleepy cd though, it's very airy as I said before, his voice, and his guitar has a very airy quality to it. I don't know how much I like it. I do like the song "Free Until They Cut Me Down", still much like the other stuff, but a little bit cooler. Probably if I comprehended words a little better, then I might like the lyrics, but I have a hard time with the airy sound figuring out what he's trying to say. I'm so much more intrenched in music that this kind of stuff eludes me.

This is an alright cd in my opinion, not much leaning good or bed, just alright. You'll like it if you like singer songwriters. Someone who actually comprehends lyrics should tell me how it is. Basically I just feel on the fence about this one, cause it's not bad, I just don't find anything extraordinary about it. 2.5 out of 4 stars.

Vida Blue -- Vida Blue

What do you get when you mix Page McConnell of Phish, Oteil Burbridge of The Allman Brothers Band, and Russell Batiste of The Meters? A jazzy electronic jam band called Vida Blue. This is their self titled debut album, it was made during the first Phish hiatus. The best part of this album is the infectously funky "Where's Popeyes". This cd is very good if you want a relaxing jaunt into electronic styles, mixed with Page's excellent piano workings. However at the same time, it doesn't have all that much staying power. It's got some good songs and good vibes but nothing too memorable besides Where's Popeyes.

If you like jam bands or want some funky electronic groove, I'd check these guys out. Overall I liked it but it's not too memorable, so I'm going to give it 3 out of 4 stars. It could use some improvement.

Cake -- Fashion Nugget

This is Cake's second album and probably it's most famous. I'm not a big fan of Cake overall, mainly because I only really enjoy the radio hits. Their sound for me is very dry, and because of this, even the hits don't entertain me as much as they once did. This cd does have my second favorite Cake song which is also probably their most famous song "The Distance". I also like the hit "Frank Sinatra" and I slightly like their cover of "I Will Survive" though I like the original much more. Also I like the actual song of "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" and their's is alright, and then I really like the instrumental version of "Italian Leather Sofa". Though the instrumental version is not on the cd, but because of this I do sort of like that song. The biggest drawback I have with this cd is the lyrics, now usually I don't pay too much attention to the lyrics, however, when it comes to Cake there isn't much else to focus on besides the lyrics, and I really don't care for most of the stuff, especially the songs, "Open Book", "Race Car Ya-Yas", and "Stickshifts and Safetybelts".

Overall I dislike this album, I like some songs, but overall it's really dry. Though they have their own distinctive style, it just doesn't fit right with me. 1.5 out of 4 stars for the radio hits.

Ben Harper -- Fight For Your Mind

Ben Harper is a singer/songwriter, who mostly does folk and folk rock songs. This is my first time listening to his stuff, besides the song "Steal My Kisses". It's pretty good if you like folksy guitar songs, I think I'd really like it if I played the guitar. He also infuses a lot of his stuff with a gospel feeling, the ending of the cd especially. The long yet beautiful song "God Fearing Man" I think is my favorite song on the album. The main problems I have with this cd though, is that there isn't much change in the different songs, there is only so much you can do with an accoustic guitar and light drumming.

If you like folksy rock you'll like this cd. Almost anyone I think could like this cd. I thought it was good, but not great. 3 out of 4 stars.

the pillows -- Please Mr. Lostman

If you haven't tried out "the pillows" you really should. They're an excellent rock band out of Japan, they have mostly Japanese lyrics but also some english as well. This was their breakout album. The band became most famous in America when they agreed to have most of their songs be on the anime "FLCL". Some people have compared the pillows to the Japanese equivalent of such bands like the Cure and The Smiths. They carry a light rock style while still being able to rock when they want to as well. The other draw is that even though you can't understand it all, it's still really well sung.

This is a very excellent album and I recommend it to everyone. This is a very high quality cd and deserves 4 out of 4 stars.

Evanescence -- Fallen

The first major studio album but not first album by the band Evanescence is called Fallen. This album apparently has gone platinum (x6). Listening to it this time is the first time I've listened to the cd. So far from what I've heard, besides the song "My Immortal", if you traded their woman singer for a male singer you'd have Linkin Park's Meteora cd. The music is very similar, as is the genre as a whole. That said, I do enjoy the album. Not as much as Meteora, but more then Linkin Park's other cd Hybrid Theory. I really liked the song "My Last Breath" but for a different reason then anyone else, and I can't say why, let's just say it reminded me of something nerdy and happy. This album ends well with the song "Whisper".

This is a pretty good album and actually impressed me more then I thought it would, however with that said, it feels a bit over the top at times and really just not my kind of stuff all the time. I'm going to give this one 3 out of 4 stars, I'll listen to their next cd as well and give it a try.

Elliot Smith -- XO

This is Elliot Smith's 4th album. I am constantly impressed with Elliot Smith ever since I took a bunch of his albums from my roommate. Elliot Smith is a singer songwriter who was taken way too early. He made some amazing stuff which I'm now just getting into. This album in particular is very very good. I haven't yet listened to all of his albums, but from what I've listened to, this is my favorite of his albums. We'll have to see if anything changes. His sound is very ranged, from mellow and melodical to hard and pumping, he could do it all. For those that actually do read this, and know elliot smith, could you tell me your favorite album of his? Thanks. I especially like the song "Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands".

This album is amazing. If you haven't picked up Elliot Smith yet, give it a try, it took me quite a while myself, so don't take my word for it. 4 out of 4 stars.

Modest Mouse -- Building Nothing Out of Something

This is a compilation by the band Modest Mouse which has singles and rare tracks from various points before 2000. A bunch of the songs are taken from the band's first EP which isn't widely available. Compelations are harder to judge usually but this one doesn't seem as hard as it's all songs I don't know and I can treat it as if it were an album. This band relies heavily on using weird chords but also making them fit into the song. One of the drawbacks to this band, is that they initially have an oddity that you don't find in most other bands, but then as you become intrenched in the band you find that though it's a cool new sound, it's really their only sound. One big surprise out of the album is the song "Medication", it felt like it sprung up out of the mire. A very good song. Still, even with one or two songs which are able to capatalize on their interesting way of playing, it doesn't work as well for the rest of the songs.

If you end up getting into this band, you'll like this compilation, but it is definatly not the one to start with. This one is going to have to get 2 out of 4 stars, it may get more if I liked their style a little more, but as it is, this is it.

Moby -- Play

This is Moby's breakthrough album, the one that got him the most mainstream success, though it's actually his 6th album as Moby and far later if you count his band from the 80s. This album is especially famous for combing elements of techno with gospel and folk. It was good to listen to this cd again, since I had forgotten most of the songs and rediscoverd some. The thing with this album though is it's got some good stuff on it, but it's almost an overkill, as a lot of the songs, have a really cool hook at the begining but then it's repeated over and over again, until you get sick of it. Because of this it's always hard for me to come back to this album. Although it does have those staples that I could listen to over and over again like "Bodyrock" and the especially good "Run On". Although, listening to this cd again, as I passed the song "Run On" I remembered why I didn't listen to this cd all that much especially when it comes to the worst song on the album "The Sky Is Broken". This cd starts off pretty good but doesn't really end well.

I think this is an album that people should check out due to it's very interesting nature, but overall I'm not a big fan of it. I'm going to give this one 2.5 out of 4 stars. It could have been a lot better.

The Ocean Blue -- Beneath The Rhythm & Sound

I honestly know very little about this band, I had a recommendation a couple of months ago by Azurerocket to check out their stuff, but haven't until just recently. This is also a kind of music of which I'm not very accustomed to. This band sounds a lot like The Cure, which is another band I haven't listened to all that much. This is the third album by this group and was put out in 1993. I just don't know about this kind of music, I think it's nice, and mellow, but it doesn't keep me fixed for any period of time. I keep wanting to go on to something else when listening to their stuff. Though occasionally as with all bands like this, they'll get me with a song that I think is really good. Such as the song "Bliss is Unaware", which I found to be incredibly catchy. I find I really enjoy this cd when doing something else, it feels good as background noise.

I'm not quite sure who to recommend this to as I'm still in the begining of finding this band. This album though good at times I had a hard time keeping my attention to it, and I just couldn't get into it overall. Though I don't dislike the cd, it's far from being really good. 2 out of 4 stars.

Nirvana -- In Utero

This is the third and final album from the pioneers of grunge rock Nirvana. It's actually the only one of the three that I do own. The bands intention for this album was after recieving such mainstream success off their album Nevermind, they decided to "return to their roots" and record a more abrasive and less mainstream sounding release. I actually think this helps the album quite a bit. This is very apparent in the hits that came out of this album such as "Heart Shaped Box", "Rape Me" and "All Apologies" as well my personal favorite on the album "Very Ape". "Frances The Farmer" also is an excellent performance. Overall this is actually quite a good album.

I had thought in choosing this one, that I wouldn't rank as I high as I am. This album did surprise me a bit more then I expected it to. This is a good album for anyone looking to get into grunge rock and experimental hard rock. Though it is a good album, it's not quite up to par with the other four stars and thus can only make it as high as 3.5 out of 4 stars.

Trey Anastasio -- Trey Anastasio

This self titled album is the second solo project by Trey Anastasio, the lead singer and guitarist of Phish. This album was released in April of 2002. I consider Trey to be one of the greatest guitarists of all time, so I am a bit biased. That being said, this is still a pretty good album. It has a lot more horns then any of Phish's music which is an interesting addition. There is a bit less jamming on this album, but it is still there. Most of the songs on this album are also very mellow. Probably my favorite song is the very upbeat song "Alive Again".

This is a very good album, but it also lags in some parts and fails to keep your attention in others. I'll recommend it to those that either like Phish or have liked Phish. 3 out of 4 stars for this one.