1. Lady Galaxy

This is BoA's 5th album and was released on January 17, 2007. It reached #1 on the Oricon Charts and has sold 348,093 copies.

I'm pretty sure the artist singing is supposed to be BoA not Ciara (nothing negative about that). Lady Galaxy is honestly the only Japanese hip-hop song that sounds American to me. BoA's sexy lower vocals propel the streak of best openings since OUTGROW. Wasn't expecting that pop interlude but it leads the intoxicating low bass part before jumping into line.

Wow, that's a bizarre transition. Even after all this time, Nana Iro no Ashita ~brand new beat~ doesn't interest me. It's pop that toned down from her 14 year old debut music but there's no punch or hook. It skips, laughs, and smiles; well rounded but ~brand new beat~ is...lacking.

Winter Love draws from the pop vibe but in a ballad form. I'm not a big fan of BoA's ballads but there are few I listen to and love. This is one. Her amazing vocals lower and raise at precise points, the arrangement;chimes, strings, guitars, drums, and cascading synths that drive the wintry feel home.

Yay! A pop song that I enjoy! STILL. is unique with it's jazzy piano paired with her low vocals. The chords keep the verses bumping along where the actual pop sound is contained in the chorus. Bubbly synths and a synth line that drops like a price scanner(?) give the pop sound. An acoustic enters with higher vocals from BoA.

SO REAL is easily my favourite song from (20). Urban leaning synths, cool background vocals, and a minutely lower BoA give attitude. How I love the interlude.

We were doing so well until KEY OF HEART showed up uninvited. Six is my favourite number and I always have raised expectations toward songs in this position. Unfortunately, it forgot bring the salsa.

Again, track seven is my least fave. OUR LOVE ~to my parents~ has the generic R&B snaps and accompaniment that whenever I hear a song with it, it lowers my opinion. Lovely vocals.

We precede upwards with Engrish. no more make me sick channels Namie's Hip-Pop with inserts of pop and oriental downscale. Slowed, it bumps with off beat synths and Engrish. "Look what you did to me." I hear "bookmark" for the first two words.

Aww snap! Revolution-CODE: 1986-1105 Feat. RAH-D brings the street brass, aggressive vocals by RAH-D, and rough and airy vocals of BoA. Seriously, this song is tight but with the guest rapper trying soo hard to be creditable, he grits like a beauty pageant queen. That has to be a joke on BoA's composers part.

Your Color, the deserving A-side, graces us. I've heard this set-up before but here it sounds fresh. Expanding every direction despite pre-determined boundaries. The 'endlessness' is more enhanced by BoA's crisp vocals.

Back to hip-hop so soon? Prayer returns sultry BoA, different urban synths, breathy vocalizations. The abrupt wrong note synth and faux strings add to the queerness. Was that a cow bell?

I'm glad Candle Lights, B-side for Winter Love, was placed on here. The Spanish guitar contributes another flavour to a plain R&B song. Her vocals are good, piano keys welcomed, and the strobing synth are pleasant.

Gracious Days is typical a pop number that has a slower tempo but sweeter feel. It's ok.

BoA's English has noticeable improved, especially at the opening lines. The cover of Wham!'s LAST CHIRSTMAS differs entirely, music wise. Synths are the key. Originally found on the Winter Love single.

Winter Love (Live ver.) is impressive and unnesscary. Impressive in that I've never heard BoA perform live and sounds fabulous but unnesscary because it seems its mission is to fill space.

Compared to OUTGROW, MADE IN TWENTY(20) is a step down. I'm glad that BoA is experimenting with a mature sound but disappointed at her attempt. She never strays from her younger pop days, always ready to leap into a safe zone when she tip-toes outside. The vocals through out are better than the previous album's, but the music seems more 'mature'. I know that's contradictroy to say but OUTGROW feels more in tune to who she is while MADE IN TWENTY(20) shows a new side yet somehow it's forced upon. Maybe it's me, but I think the musical deattachment starts here.

Final Grade: B-

At this point in the history of recorded musics it’s supremely difficult to examine a disc in a micro sense. Everything is related – it’s past the point of being ‘seemingly’ or ‘tangential.’ Even ignoring the output of Max Blackout as a part of a group, this self titled album forces the question, “Does this need to be disseminated to the masses?”

I dunno.

As unsettling as other projects that Mac Black out has been associated with – Functional Blackouts and Daily Void – this easily trumps his other discs in that one area. It’s creepy. It’s even more disquieting that the unlikely city this all sprung from was Indianapolis, where Mac attended art school during the late ‘90s. And despite the date of these recordings, there is an obvious ‘80s influence. How these songs have thus far avoided comparisons to the Screamers is beyond ludicrous, but there is a unifying sewer dwelling nihilism amidst each track.

Beyond that comparison, the lead off track “Everybody Rock”, still immediately recalls the Ramones’ “Happy Family.” It’s not that funny or poppy, but listeners may still extol a chortle. Ideally, there’d be a stand-out, alas there’s not. Lyrically, “Baby Face Killer” is easily recalled by simply leaning upon its Oh Brother! related title - or maybe “Nowhere Man,” because it’s a bloody Beatles song.

Mac Blackout (the album, not the man) should not cease existing, mostly because it’ll easily make a buck, but there are sporadic redeeming qualities throughout the solo offering – occasionally summoning Jay Reatard. Unfortunately, the scant rewards of Mac Blackout can be found elsewhere in a group setting – and occasionally in the same song - “You’ve Lost Your Eyes.”

Tracklisting:

01 – Everybody Rock
02 – Voodoo Doll
03 – Heartache in the City
04 – Dreamin’ of Summertime
05 – Nowhere Man
06 – March of Love and Hate
07 – Baby Face Killer
08 – Searchin’ for an Angel
09 – The Lonely People
10 – You’ve Lost Your Eyes
11 – Delerium [sic] Trim Man
12 – I Came from Another World

But Smile, I mean, wow.  What wonders the world might have wrought if it had been released on time, before Sgt. Pepper and before the Beach Boys lost the head of steam they'd built with Pet Sounds.  While Pet Sounds is melancholy and lovely, Smile is transcendent, spiritual, American, orchestral, and utterly unique.  It's accessible but wears well with each repeated listening, and Van Dyke Parks' lyricism is a big part of what makes it so interesting.

Anyway, I have to stop writing, before I scoop myself!  But take a look at Van Dyke Parks waxing nostalgic about the Troubadour.  Doesn't he talk like David Lynch?

P.S. I'm not talking about Brian Wilson's SMiLE album that came out a couple years ago.  It's really good, and I own the DVD and all that.  But it's no more the "real" Smile than seeing a concert by Al Jardine and Friends is the same as seeing the Beach Boys.

Tracklist:

1. Breakout
2. 7 Things
3. The Driveway
4. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
5. Full Circle
6. Fly On The Wall
7. Bottom Of The Ocean
8. Wake Up America
9. These Fall Walls
10. Simple Song
11. Goodbye
12. See You Again (Rock Mafia Remix)

Download 1: HERE
Download 2: HERE

What do you think? Leave comments!

Enjoy!

Track Listing
1. Closer
2. Safe To Land
3. Love Song For A Savior 2008
4. Flood (New Rain)
5. Prisoner of Hope

Buy at amazon

1. POWER OF MUSIC
2. Ai wo Utaou *
3. Sky
4. Jewelry day *
5. Good Night Baby
6. For today
7. Why *
8. Gold Star
9. Mahoutsukai no Shiwaza
10. Te wo Tsunagou *
11. Ai mo Uso mo Shinjitsu
12. CLAP & LOVE *
13. Kimi ga Iru Kara
14. Okaeri *
15. Konya mo Hoshi ni Dakarete...
16. WINDING ROAD * / ayaka × Kobukuro
17. I believe <English ver.>

♦

Note: Songs with a (*) at the end of their titles have already been reviewed. Click on the links to see their reviews.
Songs in bold are new tracks and will be reviewed.

♦ ♦ ♦

This is ayaka's 2nd album and it was released on June 25, 2008. This album reached #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 473,427 copies.

Beginning with a "1,2!" intro, the album opens with a inspirational track. Featuring some small hints of gospel, POWER OF MUSIC is a cheerful tune filled with upbeat piano chords, blaring brass, and soulful vocals. You could tell that ayaka and the band in the studio were having fun while recording this song. During the clapping sequence of the bridge, cheering can be heard in the background. Even though the music is a little on the laid back side, this is a great way to start things off.

Another upbeat track follows and it's the wonderful Ai wo Utaou. The mix of strings and electric guitar is great and I really liked the powerful chorus. On the Te wo Tsunagou / Ai wo Utaou single, I thought that this was the better song since I found it more interesting.

I guess you could say that this is the album's pivotal track. Sky is a pleasant song but what stood out for me was the vibrant chorus. It begins with ayaka belting out Fly to the sky  followed by strong vocals. The acoustic pop arrangement is pretty average compared to what's on the rest of the album though.

The gorgeous acoustic ballad Jewelry day is next and I still haven't gotten tired of it. This is such a sad song and it's built on top of a very heartfelt vocal performance. Further into the song, the strings come in and just emphasize on the raw emotion of ayaka's voice. The ending always gets to me with its beautiful string ensemble.

A cute, bouncy number is up next. Good Night Baby has a nice rhythm and drum beat, but it stays pretty calm for the most part. It's not until the ending when ayaka's power vocals show up and the electric guitars begin to elevate. Being barely over 3 minutes long, this is a short and sweet song.

The next track isn't exactly new. It's actually kind of old but I didn't review it because it's a digital single and you know me. Anyways, For today was released back on November 14, 2007 and it's an extremely upbeat pop rock song. It's like a high octane version of her 3rd single Real voice but with even more powerful vocals. ayaka just belts it out in her lower register throughout the entire song while being accompanied by thumping drums and screeching riffs. It's fun, but it took me multiple listens to start liking it.

Here is a song that I'm still iffy about. Why has grown on me a little, but I still find it kind of boring. The somber lyrics and ayaka's vocals are great, but the music is what gives me mixed feelings. It's not a ballad nor is it upbeat, but rather stuck in between. I will say that the song does take a turn for the better towards the end when the adlibbing sequence occurs.

Gold Star does show a more edgy side of ayaka on this album. Her vocals are more aggressive and the electric guitars definitely take the spot as the lead instrument. What makes this song better than Meiro (the B-side from the Okaeri single), which was also dominantly rockish in nature, is that it's way more upbeat. The faster paced music of Gold Star better suited her voice.

Now the album slows down a bit for the next 3 tracks. This phase begins with the very charming Mahoustukai no Shiwaza, a piano based song. I loved the gentle, yet playful piano chords and ayaka's vocals go with the flow. Because the song is short like Good Night Baby, it acts like an interlude between Gold Star and Te wo Tsunagou, which are two radically different songs.

It took me a while to really start appreciating Te wo Tsunagou. Even though I still wish the first half of the song could be more interesting, ayaka's vocals are fantastic. When the bridge arrives, the tempo changes a fairly good amount with the addition of electric guitars and drums. The final chorus is amazing though.

The next track is pretty interesting because it borrows some elements from blues and jazz. Ai mo Uso mo Shinjitsu has ayaka singing in her lower register again and she sounds surprisingly good. The verses are calm and smooth, but the chorus has those incredible power vocals. I also liked the bridge with its use of upbeat guitar chords.

I honestly love the arrangement of CLAP & LOVE because of the awesome combination of clapping beats, vocoder, and deep electric guitar. I also love ayaka's husky vocal performance and insanely catchy adlibbing sequences. I think the music is quite offbeat compared to the rest of the album because it lacks any kind of percussion instrument and the clapping is what keeps the beat instead. Add the background vocals and frequent riffs and you now have something unique but very good at the same time.

Okay, so I already think that all the new tracks on this album are good, but ayaka delivers one of her best upbeat songs to date with Kimi ga Iru Kara. It's also my favorite of the new tracks too. Right from the beginning there's a flurry of guitar riffs and strings and I was hooked. The chorus is definitely what makes this song shine and I loved how uplifting it was. It's bound to put a smile on your face.

Now we have the heartwarming Okaeri, the last single released before the album. This is such a sweet song and ayaka gives a gentle, yet assertive vocal performance. I've gotten over the bagpipes, but it would have been nice if they WEREN'T there (they seemed sort of unnecessary to me). That's just a minor detail because I absolutely love this song.

Before the bonus tracks, Konya mo Hoshi ni Dakarete... makes for a beautiful ending to this album. There's not enough words to describe how gorgeous this piano ballad is. Everything is so well done but what I liked the most about this song are the English lyrics that ayaka sings in the form of stunning high notes. She sings the lines What I need now is you and You made me what I am with such grace and feeling, especially at the end. As far as I'm concerned, this was the perfect final track for the album.

Now let's move on to the 2 bonus tracks! The first one is ayaka's hit collaboration with Kobukuro, WINDING ROAD. Her and the 2 members of Kobukuro make such great harmonies during the chorus and also during their respective solo parts. The only part that bugged me was the bridge because everyone goes a little overboard with the adlibbing. Other than that, this was a great collaboration and I can't wait for their next one titled Anata to which is out in November.

The 2nd bonus track is the English version of I believe, her debut single. She has sung full English songs before at concerts, but this is currently her only one to be recorded in the studio. Her pronunciation is easy to understand at certain parts, but difficult during others. I think the song sounds good in English and the lyrics are nice for the most part.

Sing to the Sky MIGHT be my favorite album of the year so far. It's a big improvement over her debut album First Message, especially when it comes to the new tracks. I also felt that Sing to the Sky had more variety as well. The only problem that I noticed with the album was with the placement of certain tracks. The flow is sometimes choppy in some areas and songs like CLAP & LOVE and Jewelry day could have been better placed. However, that's an extremely small nuisance when you compare it to the grand scheme of things. I thought every new track was executed very well and I even enjoyed the songs that I didn't like back when they were singles. If you liked her debut album, then you are definitely going to love this one.

Overall Rating

5 stars

... If you want my love then you got to get close to me."

"Is this there new hit?, it's pretty catchy" "Hey that sounds pretty electronic." These were the reactions from my wife and daughter to the new single from Jars of Clay' Closer Ep. I continue to be impressed each time Jars of Clay releases a new album. Two summers ago it was Dead Man (Carry Me) and now they expand their musical & lyrical vision with "Closer"

The single is available at itunes and amazon now. With the entire Closer Ep available digitally August 5 & the CD on Aug. 19, 2008.
Listen to it here:
"Closer" [audio http://drivebymedia.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/02-closer.mp3]

Nomo - Better Than That

[audio http://www.nomomusic.com/betterthanthat.mp3]

Nu e rau, nu?

Anul acesta apare Ghost Rock care imi da peste cap toate ideile despre cum ar trebui sa fie un album de afro-beat/funk. O mare calitate e ca iti aminteste de foarte multe lucruri, de la art-rock la jazz, dar nu poti sa pui degetul pe ceva pentru ca n-ar mai fi Numo, formatia pe care o stiai. Dupa cum declara si unul dintre membrii formatiei: NU suna de parca ar fi fost inregistrat in Nigeria, undeva in anii 70. E o reflectare a emotiilor lor, fuzionate in jazz, funk, electro si tatal lor, afro-beat-ul.

Deci, Ghost Rock (2008), un album de 5 stele al unui grup american (sunt vreo 10-11, majoritatea formati la Universitatea de Jazz din Michigan), care ajunge la un nivel epic pentru genul asta de muzica.

Nomo - Brainwave [audio http://media.podcastingmanager.com/103181-96089/Media/01%20Brainwave.mp3] Nomo - My Dear [audio http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1601128_d3mps/b1mydear.mp3]

Just when we thought she might actually hang it up and go retire on the beach with Mel Gibson, it is confirmed that Britney Spears will spend the summer working on a new album... yipes. No release date was indicated in the statement from Jive Records and Spears' manager, Larry Rudolph. Let's just hope she remembers the words this time...

"Death Will Never Conquer" [audio http://drivebymedia.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/01-death-will-never-conquer.mp3]

Track Listing
1. Broken Heart
2. Hotel Aquarium
3. Moonlit
4. Exit Calypsan (Into the Ice Cave)
5. Escalates
6. Contact
7. Searchlights (Indoor Soccer)
8. Good Morning Planetarium
9. Bittersweet
10. Islander
11. Symmetry
12. Flights
13. Falling in Love
14. Goodnight Gravity

Courtesy of Kidcudi.com

http://sharebee.com/7e3ff6d8

]]> http://sethlakeman.wordpress.com/?p=57 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:55:11 +0000 SD http://sethlakeman.wordpress.com/?p=57 A short interview with Highland News in advance of Seth's appearance at the Heb Celt festival in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, on Saturday discusses chart success, the influence of playing live on the new album, and the possibilities for making it big in the Carribean.

Chart success "not down to radio"

Poor Man's Heaven's chart success "wasn't expected", he says, and is "definitely not down to that marketing machine, radio". Largely shunned my mainstream playlists, although Crimson Dawn has popped up on Radio 2 a bit, he credits instead the hard work the band has put in over the last couple of years, playing an estimated 250 gigs a year according to other interviews.

"we've done so many gigs. And I think that's why people have gone out to buy it, they've either seen us play or have been told about it."

...

"The pressure's on now for the next album! we will probably release a live recording first because we have never done that before."

More tidbits in the full interview.

Full interview: 'Charting top 10 is number one for Seth', Margaret Chrystall, Highland News, 17 Jul 2008 »

So not the most exciting news in the world. I mean I wouldn't buy it (cause I went :P) but the the Police will be releasing a dvd of their tour the past year. It was the first time they'd played together in 20 years, so ofcourse they'd make a movie out of it.  They filmed two shows;  in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (meaning it's the one you didn't see).  The cool thing though, is that the Director, Jordan Copeland, is Stewart Copeland's son. 

The Dvd and cd should be out sometime this year :).

Chris Brown lyrics

In late 2005, he released his first studio album, Chris Brown, which spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number-one debut single, "Run It!" which was produced by Scott Storch and featured Juelz Santana. The album also produced two other top ten singles: "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and "Say, Goodbye." Brown's second studio album, Exclusive was released worldwide in November 2007. It has spawned his second US number one hit, "Kiss Kiss" which was produced by T-Pain, who was also featured in the song . The third single, "With You", has reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has entered into the top ten in several countries across the world, becoming one of his most successful worldwide releases to date. "Forever" was released as the fifth single and so far has peaked at number 4 on Billboard Hot 100, becoming the album third top five hit in the US.

Lyrics from Exclusive album by Chris Brown:

Damage lyrics
Down lyrics
Forever lyrics
Gimme whatcha got lyrics
Heart ain't a brain lyrics
Help me lyrics
Hold up lyrics
I'll call ya lyrics
I wanna be lyrics
Kiss kiss lyrics
Lottery lyrics
Nice lyrics
Picture perfect lyrics
Picture perfect (remix) lyrics
Superhuman lyrics
Take you down lyrics
Throwed lyrics
Wall to wall lyrics
With you lyrics
You lyrics

Shortly after ending his summer tour with Ne-Yo, Brown quickly began production for his second studio album, Exclusive, which was set to be released on August 28, 2007 until it was pushed to November 6, 2007. The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums selling nearly 300,000 copies in its first week domestically, 140,000 more copies than his debut album.

Fourth studio album from Blur (1995)

#1 UK

Scanned from the October 1995 Select Magazine.

A Coastline Ending-In The Name Of Progression

Austrian Death Machine-Total Brutal

Circus Circus-Brooklyn Nightlife

The Hold Steady-Stay Positive

North-What You Were

Hans Zimmer And James Newton Howard-The Dark Knight Score

The Mile After-Armada

This weeks upcoming releases:

Bayside-The Walking Wounded:Gold Edition

I Am Alaska-A Day In A Life

Mechanical Hands Electric Heart-Self Titled

Misery Signals-Controller

My Favorite Highway-How To Call A Bluff(EP)

Rose Matter-Self Titled

Sky Eats Airplane-Self Titled

The Scenic-Find Yourself Here

U2-Boy,October,War(Reissue)

I am currently working on a more efficient way to manage release dates so sit tight and I hope to have it up next week.

Ah, The Blue Album, as Weezer's eponymous first (and first eponymous album as there's now two more) has become known.

Unlike so many of the albums in this Essential list, I can't remember when I first heard this album, nor even buying it. The songs are such that I feel I've always known them even when I saw the video for 'Buddy Holly' which grabbed the world's attention by borrowing and merging with a show loved by many, Happy Days.

Like so many videos it distracted from the lyrics: "What's with these homies dissin' my girl? Why do they gotta front?" Sung by one of music's greatest geeks, the self-depreciating Rivers Cuomo.

If anyone else was singing those lyrics it wouldn't work, but in the hands of the charmingly shy guy with the fringe and metal-leaning riff guitars, it does. And therein lies the key to the album's success. Rivers, and Weezer, were fans of the metal and licks of bands like Kiss and Cuomo himself a boiling pot of angst and "issues" (that would permeate 'Pinkerton'). Rather than play to the gloom of his angst or the heaviness of the music he loved (those tricks would wait for the later, lesser work such as Maladroit and Make Believe) it was churned out to catchy up-beat songs a-la Cheap Trick.

Non-offensive and charming punk and energy with, comparatively, meaningful lyrics make Weezer a 40 minute joy ride. Songs like 'Buddy Holly' and 'Say It Ain't So' were perfect singles but with extra depth while album opener 'My Name Is Jonas' and closer 'Only In Dreams' (a slow burning delight of a song that gradually builds to a jubilant climax) book end an album full of great music.

To me the most amazing thing about this album is that it is already 14 years old. It's hard to believe an album this joyous in sound was released at the same time as the musical landscape was still ruled by the Seattle sound.

While, without giving too much of the list away, this isn't Weezer's best album, it's certainly their second and one that has risen to well deserved place as one of the best albums of the 1990's.  Appropiate then that it should nestle so neatly in the 90's of my list.

Please, enjoy my favourites from the album:

Say It Ain't So 

Only In Dreams - not an official vid, obviously