|
Been gone so long I'm glad to be back!
|
|
|
You wanted it, now you got it. Nate's back with with the best album recommendations you'll find on the net
|
|
|
|
|
11/29/08
I Won NaBloPoMo
Whew, well I did it. 30 years of music spanning four decades featuring some of the best albums to be released. So, now that NaBloPoMo is over, what's next for Nate's Music Blog? Well, I'm going to keep up with the album reviews, but instead of going back in time (at least not too far) I'm just going to be reviewing new albums that I like. So stay tuned, as I still haven't delivered the album for this year, but will get it to you as soon as I can.
Two Great Sounds Sound Great Together
 |
(2006) Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris - All the Roadrunning
|
It's hard to find a great musician that Mark Knopfler hasn't done a duet with, but for him to make an entire album with somebody else is something special and that's exactly what All the Roadrunning is. They recorded All the Roadrunning over a period of seven years, stealing studio time when they could get it, and keeping the whole project under wraps, probably because people would have started putting pressure on them to finish had they heard the two were collaborating together. However, the wait was worth it as Emmylou Harris has a truly beautiful voice that harmonizes perfectly with Mark's throughout the album. Along with blending their voices, they very much blended their styles together to give us something that's not really country, not really rock 'n roll, but something altogether new and unique. Hopefully we won't have to wait another seven years for these two to get back into the studio together, but if we had to wait twenty years for another album like All the Roadrunning to come out, that's a small price to pay.
|
| |
Must Haves
Track No. 03 - This Is Us
Track No. 11 - All The Roadrunning
|
11/28/08
Que Onda Mis Amigos
 |
(2005) Beck - Guero
|
Beck is a musician that can transcend genres while re-inventing them at the same time. However, Beck is not the only musical genius to grace Guero. Jack White steps in the provide help on the bass. Money Mark, who usually plays keyboard for the Beastie Boys, tickles some organ keys on the album. Petra Haden and even Christina Ricci lend their voices to a couple songs. Using all of this talent, the album weaves through Latin stylings to hip-hop remixes, from standard rock 'n roll to techno dance mixes. The brilliant thing is that it all meshes together to become a solid album instead of alienating fans of any of those genres. I think this comes from the fact that Beck grew up in LA and embraced all of the different cultures that surrounded him. Beck, in turn, was embraced by the cultures that he opened himself up to which earned him nicknames like Guero (which means 'white Mexican'). I think all of those cultures are proud to have Beck representing them in an album like Guero which can bring any kind of people together, forcing them to dance and have a good time.
|
| |
Must Haves
Track No. 02 - Que' Onda Guero
Track No. 07 - Hell Yes
|
11/27/08
This Is What The Fuss Is About
 |
(2004) The Killers - Hot Fuss
|
It's very rare that a band can release a debut album and have it do as well as Hot Fuss, which reached #1 in the charts just about everywhere except the US where it reached #7. Now, I wouldn't describe their style as disco, but they did do to the 00's that disco did to the 70's. They invoke an anything goes party atmosphere that almost immediately linked them to the Las Vegas lifestyle (which wasn't hard to do since they're from Vegas). The Killers, of course, embraced this character of excess, dressed in shiny suits, and made sure they were seen in the scene. I also think that with their success they opened the doors to other bands of similar style like Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco. Unfortunately, the party style didn't last very long within the 00's and although everybody loves a good party, the flaunting of excess is gone. Fortunately, we'll always have Hot Fuss to remind us that there are good times to be had.
|
| |
Must Haves
Track No. 05 - All These Things That I've Done
Track No. 08 - Change Your Mind
|
11/26/08
The Elephant In The Room
 |
(2003) The White Stripes - Elephant
|
Two years earlier The White Stripes released White Blood Cells and got everyone to start noticing them. However, it wasn't until after they released Elephant that everyone released just how great they were. Nothing really changed in the way they recorded, using antiquated equipment and what ever else they could scrape together, and this is what helped them keep their raw and gritty sound. However, what did change is Jack White finally came into his own and realized how much talent he has. No longer would he just limit himself to his guitar as Meg did her drums, but instead he'd play just about every instrument he could find in the studio. He'd also play them with great acumen to deliver an album that would pull you in due to it's shiny surface, but drown you in it's unfathomable depth. Since the release of Elephant Jack has been very busy making music with everyone in the biz, but I truly believe it took him putting together Elephant to catapult him into the stardom that he deserves.
|
| |
Must Haves
Track No. 01 - Seven Nation Army
Track No. 09 - The Hardest Button To Button
|
11/25/08
God Bless The Man In Black
 |
(2002) Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around
|
In 1994, Johnny Cash teamed up with Rick Rubin to start the American recordings, which was a series of albums that are mainly cover songs in which Johnny takes a great song and imparts his distinct style upon it to make it a whole new song. Johnny recorded four of these albums, with American IV not only being the last, but it was also the last album to be released while The Man In Black was still alive. While doing the American recordings, Johnny did not limit his choices of what songs he redid. This is best shown by his willingness and ability to remake the song "Hurt", originally done by Nine Inch Nails. Johnny's version of "Hurt" was made much more emotional by the video he released for it, which featured June Carter in her very last appearance on film. Johnny, of course, could not of known this, but the dark overtones are darkened even further due to this fact. However, the love Johnny had for June are also accentuated through this song, and I think it was that love that ultimately broke Johnny's heart and let him leave us to join June in the afterlife. Combine all of that with the emotion that Johnny pours into "Hurt" and it's hard to not shed a tear every time I hear that song. However, I don't want to make it seem like American IV is a complete downer. There are plenty of other great songs on the album that are not so emotional, but all encapsulate Johnny's love for music, which is why we loved him so much. If there is a heaven, I know Johnny and June are putting on concerts every night, and if I make there, I'm going to get my copy of American IV signed just so I can let Johnny know how great it is.
|
| |
Must Haves
Track No. 01 - The Man Comes Around
Track No. 02 - Hurt
|
11/24/08
The Man Called E
 |
(2001) Eels - Souljacker
|
The Eels are another one of those one man bands whose vision, direction, and musical force comes all from one brilliant mind owned and operated by Mark Oliver Everett, who is better known as E. E grew up the son of a very well known physicist and was always playing with toy instruments. As he got older, his love of instruments and music only grew and this is very apparent on Souljacker. E uses a wide variety of instruments throughout the album, but is very careful not to over do it. He provides a depth within his music that is very rare in most bands, probably because most people don't have the full understanding of instruments and the music they create as someone who's both mathematically inclined and grew up experimenting with all sorts instruments. I do fell that I need to say you don't need to know any of this to enjoy E's music. He puts out great tunes that can blend in to the background as well as be the centerpiece of any party. I know I'm generalizing about E's music, and I do recommend any Eels album that is out there, but if you want the good stuff, invest in Souljacker .
|
| |
Must Haves
Track No. 03 - Fresh Feeling
Track No. 09 - Jungle Telegraph
|
|
Permalink
XML Feeds