geoff_girardin's Last.fm Journal

Jason Mraz - We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:33:55 +0000

I've never really listened to Jason Mraz in the past. Or at all for that matter. But when I found out he was coming out with a new album, I had to take the plunge and find out if he was worth listening to. He most definitely is.

Jason Mraz has this odd ability to pack stadiums and be a 'true' rocker, but also play a guitar in the backyard around a fire and not be annoying about it.

First off let me talk about the album casing. It's cardboard, and folds open to a bunch of doodles. They are awesome. There is a chicken smoking a pipe with a peg leg! It's awesome!

The first track, 'Make It Mine' off of his latest album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. can only be described as casual jazz. It is infectious, evidenced by the fact that I love the track, yet don't like jazz. At all. It has a great horn section, but it's laid-back, to a point. It brings us to the second track, 'I'm Yours'.

This one constantly reminds me of when Ted's Band covered Somewhere Over the Rainbow on Scrubs. But then the vocals kick in, and Jason makes it his own. He even scat sings a bit at the end. It's a wonderful song and one of my new favorites.

Track three is 'lucky', featuring Colbie Caillat. I'm not a fan of her music at all, but for some reason it fits on this track. Man, imagine if they had a kid. It'd be the ultimate acoustic rocker. And would look great in hats. Anyway, the track is a sweet song between a couple. It's nice.

Track four. 'Butterfly'. It sounds nice. Then you hear the lyrics and it's a standard one about wanting to sleep with a girl. If it were about an actual butterfly, I'd like it more. But it's not so I don't. Track five is 'Live High'. I LOVE this track. Excellent acoustic guitar, excellent vocals, excellent lyrics. It fits together so well. The ending bothers me though, because you hear people cheering and clapping as if he just recorded it live. But there is a pause before the cheers, and it sounds like it was added in just to give the live effect. It doesn't fit.

Track six - 'Love For A Child'. It's about being the child of a divorce. Wonderful track. Track seven is 'Details in the Fabric' featuring James Morrison, who is on two phone messages at the beginning and the end of the song. He gives us the phrase 'It's like you're on an island of reality in a sea of diarrhea.' It's hilarious. The rest of the song is done incredibly well, much like the rest of the album. This track is nothing short of greatness. Easily my favorite on the album.

Track eight is 'Coyotes'. Has Jason Mraz perfected the genre of white boy hip-hop? Well, no. It seems like it until the end, when he sings with a group of people. A group of children-people. I'm sorry, but children should not be in songs. Ever. It's incredibly annoying. Track nine is 'Only Human'. A great song talking about how as humans we are far from perfect and make mistakes.

Track ten, 'The Dynamo of Volition', sounds like he's trying another attempt at perfecting white boy hip-hop, but he's actually just singing fast. The chorus brings us back the the casual jazz (minus horn section) that we heard back in 'Make It Mine'. Great track. Number eleven is called 'If It Kills Me'. It's about a guy who wants to date his female friend, and will keep trying to get his attention even if it kills him. Yet another of those wonderful tracks that this album is full of. The album closes out with 'A Beautiful Mess'. Very relaxed and acoustic-heavy. Great closing track.

Overall, I am now a Jason Mraz fan. The man has a great amount of talent. And this album further proves it. I give it a 4/5. Go buy it.

The Scene and Herd

Sat, 31 May 2008 14:38:58 +0000

http://www.myspace.com/relientk

Relient K put out the first taste of their upcoming album, The Birds And The Bee Sides.

I promised myself I wouldn't be a fan of the new material. I promised myself that it wouldn't be the same after Dave Douglas' departure.

It's not. Everything is great besides the drumming. Nothing against Ethan Luck, the man is an excellent drummer and an awesome guitarist. But I'm too used to the Relient K sound. With Dave.

That said, I'm delighted and disappointed with the new track. It's awesome, that much is obvious, and it's good to see the boys from Ohio didn't break stride with the percussion change.

I'm looking forward to the stuff.

Foxboro Hot Tubs - Stop Drop and Roll!!!

Fri, 30 May 2008 20:10:23 +0000

I first heard about the Foxboro Hot Tubs this past Christmas - my aunt told me about them and let me listen to the six songs they had available at the time. They were awesome, and we both speculated the same thing - that Foxboro Hot Tubs was actually Green Day.

It was hard to think it was anyone else. The vocals are distinctly Billie Joe Armstrong's. The drumming is right on par with Tre Cool's style. And they have been known to have secret side projects before (ie. The Network). Soon enough, the band put out a CD of 12 songs, five of which were previously available on their website, and seven new tracks. I was lucky enough to purchase it recently.

The album starts out powerful with the track 'Stop Drop And Roll!!!'. The band's sound is reminiscent of 60s rock. As is the album packaging and artwork. The title track feels like one big hook, never stopping, just two minutes and twenty four seconds of intensity.

Second track, 'Mother Mary', includes some of the religious imagery found on Green Day's latest album American Idiot. A bit more laid back than 'Stop Drop and Roll!!!', and has a great swing beat.

Third track, 'Ruby Room'. Incredibly catchy, you'll find yourself singing it all day. Not much else to say beside that, unfortunately. Fourth track is called 'Red Tide'. Slowest and most mellow song yet, and stays like that the whole time. Nice little break from what we've previously seen from the record.

'Broadway'. One of the new tracks for the CD release. It sounds like old Green Day material actually. Very nice. Lots of guitar. Lots and lots of guitar. Wow. 'She's a Saint Not a Celebrity' returns back to the 60s sound that we heard at the beginning of the album. Another catchy track that you will have stuck in your head, but not in the bad way.

'Sally'. Good sounding track, but nothing really special, in my personal opinion. It has some great drumming, but there isn't much that makes it stand out in my eyes. Er, ears.

'Alligator'. My favorite song off the record. Sounds...robotic. It's a great, catchy, fun song. And it mentioned space invaders. That always makes for a good track. The vocals sound really great, and fit in with the guitar perfectly.

'The Pedestrian'. Also sounds like old Green Day stuff. I don't have a problem with it, but I think it's kind of odd they didn't stick with the 60s style that worked so well at the beginning of the album. '27th Ave Shuffle'. A blend of old Green Day sound and the new Foxboro sound. I like it. It's fun and catchy. Nice use of background vocals.

"Dark Side of Night'. This one moves far from the sound of the other tracks. Acoustic guitar rather than electric, large large of the snare, vocals are almost always accompanied with other voices, and there are flutes. It's not bad, just an odd shift from the other tracks. The last track, 'Pieces Of Truth', rounds off the album in a very nice fashion, complete with a saxophone solo.

Overall, whether you're a fan of Green Day or not, you'll enjoy the album. Personally, I'd give it a 4/5.

Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Thu, 22 May 2008 22:58:08 +0000

Death Cab for Cutie's latest album, Narrow Stairs, was released just over a week ago, on May 13th. I've been a long time fan of Death Cab, ever since their last album Plans came out. Featuring such hits as 'Marching Bands of Manhattan', 'Soul Meets Body', and 'I Will Follow You Into the Dark', it was a pretty good place to start. I can proudly say that this is the band that got me into the indie music scene, as well as mellow rock. Before I found them all I listened to was Weird Al Yankovic and Relient K.

I am listening to Narrow Stairs as I write this. The third track is just starting. It's titled 'No Sunlight'. The first two tracks 'Bixby Canyon Bridge' and 'I Will Possess You Heart' are both solid tracks. The album starts out mellow with 'Bixby', and it doesn't feel like that much of a departure from Death Cab's past material, specifically, Transatlanticism. 'I Will Possess Your Heart' seems like it will follow suit, but then the bass comes in, and any thing you have thought about this album based on the first track goes right out the window. The bass stays at the mid-tempo, steady pace for four and a half minutes, being joined by guitar effects and the drums. Then the vocals come in, and everything fades out. Then the drums kick back in, along with some piano, and the band rocks out that way for the remaining four minutes.

'No Sunlight'. I'm not entirely sure why, but it reminds me vaguely of something from the 50's. Must be the drum beat. A very, very nice and solid song. So far in the album, no weak points. 'Cath...' comes up next, a mellow little song about a woman that isn't entirely happy in her marriage, and how she could have done better. Drums are very well done. Gibbard's voice is great as always.

'Talking Bird'. Very slow. About a bird. Weakest song so far, but that's not to say it's not a good song. Well done, but by contrast, it's not the best. 'You Can Do Better Than Me'. Initially seems like a Christmas song? Odd, but it fits somehow. Another good part of this album is the way the tracks are delivered. They all follow the one before it perfectly. Nothing seems out of place.

'Grapevine Fires'. I have heard good things about this track. That it's the best track on the record, that everyone needs to hear it, etc. It's a nice track, but I think that 'I Will Possess Your Heart' wins (so far) for best track.

'Your New Twin Sized Bed'. Good mix with the drum beat and guitar. Guitar is really the focal point of the song, I think. Which is odd, because generally the vocals are the focal point. 'Long Division'. Holy crap the start of this song is sweet. Good mix with the bass and drums. Effects on Gibbard's voice rock. Wow. This track is really great.

'Pity and Fear'. Starts out mellow. Blocks instead of drums. Drums slowly build up. Nice blend of guitar and drums. Very nice. Odd ending. Just cuts off. I do hope that is a problem with my disc, rather than the way the track actually ends.

Final track. 'The Ice Is Getting Thinner'. Light guitar. Nothing else besides vocals. Nice mellow ending to this album.

Final thoughts - This album it put together wonderfully. Everything flows right into the next track perfectly. I am a bit confused though. I had heard that this was a departure from anything that Death Cab has ever done. But this reminds me a lot of Transatlanticism. How odd. But over all, it is safe to say this is their best album. I'd give it a perfect 5 out of 5.

Well done boys. Well done.

(You can purchase the album from Amazon.com for $9.99 - that is a HUGE bargain.)

Fall and Winter

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 04:28:52 +0000

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot fame has released the first two of four solo EPs, which are named after the four seasons. Sound-wise, they are much much softer and slower than really anyone is putting out these days, but it's nice. Think the Fray, with much more toned down drums, more acoustic guitar, and minus the Pop influences.

The material is pretty good, but I just finished listening to the first release, Fall, and I have to say, it kind of gets boring. Still quality music, but it kind of sounds the same with each track, except for 'Southbound Train' which incorporates a harmonica (To give you the feeling of a train or something? Harmonica != train!)

Winter steps it up a bit, with better melodies. I can just get into it more for some reason. Possibly because it is Winter at the moment, or possibly because any kinks that were found in Fall have been worked out.

Both Fall and Winter are available on iTunes and Amazon, with Spring and Summer to be released later this year.

Head over to Jon's MySpace to listen to some of the tracks, or check out his official website. Alternatively, and it'd be easier, is to just preview the tracks right here on last.fm

MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/jonforeman
Website - http://www.jonforeman.com/

Riot!

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:33:17 +0000

Paramore's latest album, RIOT! is my new favorite. Haley's vocals blew me away when I first heard Crushcrushcrush, but then I kind of forgot about it until a few days ago. Within 24 hours Paramore was mentioned to me twice by different people, so I got Riot! This is some of the greatest stuff I have heard in the past 6 months, at the very least. Again, Haley's vocals do nothing else if blow me away, and added with the killer drums and guitar, it makes for one amazing record.