meandthestereo

For this album review, meandthestereo did something a little different (like we did with the Street Sweeper Social Club review) and handed off the album to two of our columnists. Check out Neto’s (from Texas) and meandthestereo’s (from DC) differing takes on this album!

Artist: Green Day
Album: 21st Century Breakdown
Label: Reprise
Release Date: May 15th, 2009
Decision: 1/5 OMG…This album sucks!
Favorite Tunes: “Viva La Gloria”

1. The Background

Neto says,

For a long time Green Day was one of my favorite bands. Way back before I was really into music, my fellow sixth graders and I would hang out in an empty classroom in the minutes before school started. One day someone took Green Day’s Dookie (on tape!) to school and we played it on a boom box that our teacher had in the classroom. The experience was revelatory. I took the tape home and listened to it all day. After that, as my interest in music grew and grew, I kept listening to Green Day. In middle school it was Dookie and Insomniac. In high school it was Nimrod and Warning. And then there was college. When I was starting out college International Superhits but they were mostly silent for a long time as far as studio albums went. Then in 2003 they released American Idiot. I think American Idiot is their best album since Dookie and it is a hard act to follow. This is made evident by their new album 21st Century Breakdown.

Joey says,

I grew up with a lot of Green Day playing in the background. “Basket Case” was one of the coolest music videos I thought I had ever seen when I was in middle school. I listened to Insomniac and Nimrod constantly through middle and high school, and I still listen to these albums from time to time on my MP3 player. I never listened to Warning or American Idiot, but Green Day had already earned a spot in my ‘Top Bands’ list. With this album, they apparently attempted another rock opera. It’s not what I’m used to hearing from Green Day, and it’s now what I’d like to hear from Green Day, but I was definitely excited to listen to this album. Read the rest of this entry →

Our main intent with this blog is to display how important music is in our columnists’ daily lives. We hope that by doing this, we also show how important music is, and can be, in everyone’s life.To help introduce people to new music, we’ve decided to start doing an Artist of the Week post to show an artist that one of our columnists believes other listeners would enjoy hearing. Or, if you’re completely new to listening to music, hopefully this will serve as a good way of easing you into some of the more interesting musicians and bands in the world. Enjoy!

Metric is…

Emily Haines – Vocals/Keys
James Shaw – Guitar
Joules Scott Key – Drums
Josh Winstead – Bass

1. What do they sound like?

Everything you’d want to know about Metric is here. But let me describe their sound for you: They are a four-piece; drummer, bassist, guitarist and vocals/keyboards. They utilize every one of their instruments. These musicians are extremely talented. They sound like you’re in a trance/dance club, but the music is bearable instead of being annoying. But the beats, like in a club, make you move. They make your chest vibrate from the way these songs bounce. You are constantly surrounded by sound. If the guitar and bass aren’t flying away, the synth or keys are flooding you with noise; melodies on top of melodies produced just by two of the musicians, as the drums keep the beat and the bassist adds that extra thump. Read the rest of this entry →

I didn’t think any photos included in this post would actually accentuate how I feel. The words pretty much speak for themselves. I decided, instead, to put some of my favorite YouTube videos of songs from bands I really enjoy that have either ’sold out’, according to some people, or have faded away.

It seems now I finally understand. Selling out is that one, final crime, isn’t it? Oh, but it never hurts the musician; it only hurts the fans. Countless bands have never sold out. Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd claim that they have not. Dylan only recently could be suspected of it. But so many bands have, and they know it. Let’s define selling out as simply as possible:

Selling out: When a musician or band uses their music to gain money or some other item. Read the rest of this entry →

“I’ll tell you again for the last time. The music is not important. It’s the desire for success that counts.”

Author: Gipi
Title: Garage Band
Publisher: :01 First Second
Medium: Graphic Novel
Decision: 4/5 Short, but great, read

1. About the Author

Gipi’s full name is Gianni Pacinotti. He’s an Italian cartoonist, and though he’s been producing work for quite a while, this is the first graphic novel of his that I’ve come across. In 2006, he won an Eisner award for a series called The Innocents! That will probably be the next piece of work by Gipi that I pick up. Read the rest of this entry →

First of all, let’s settle this issue:

I am NOT addicted to coffee.

Nay, I can stop whenever I want. I just don’t want to! Now, we aren’t here to discuss the harmful or beneficial effects of coffee on the body and mind, but to discuss the associations attributed to the ideas of Coffee and Music. It is something that has constantly tickled my brain into thinking, and I have a few bones to pick with the idea of the perfect musical/coffee atmosphere.

Let’s discuss the ‘image’ of a coffee shop, café, lounge or whatever you’d like to call it. Specifically, we are concerned with a place that primarily sells coffee drinks, pastries and some other small snacks or perhaps some lunch. It is commonly associated with this type of establishment that you are going to have a pleasant time, isn’t it? Read the rest of this entry →

In which meandthestereo rambles on about the musical loves of geeks and debates his own geeklyhood:

I can’t normally tell other people this (they laugh, undoubtedly), but I can tell you, internet (can’t I?), that I am indelibly in love with geeky music.

I can only speak for myself, but in doing so, I tend to label myself as being ‘geeky’, but that’s only a small fraction of who I am as a whole. Take a look:

Is ‘meandthestereo’ a Geek? Read the rest of this entry →

Artist: Regina Spektor
Album: Far
Label: Warner Bros.
Release Date: June 23rd, 2009
Decision: 3/5 Mediocre…Right Away
Favorite Tunes: “Blue Lips”

1. The Background

After three years, Regina Spektor is back! Did you miss her? When I heard this album was coming out, I was extremely interested. And, of course, it’s going to do well. So much sells these days just because of the name that’s on the plastic. Let’s take a look and see if this album is worth all the hype: Read the rest of this entry →

For this album review, meandthestereo did something a little different and handed off the album to two of our columnists. Check out Belle’s (from the East Coast) and Renato’s (from Austin, TX) differing takes on this album!

  Artist: Street Sweeper Social Club
  Album: Street Sweeper Social Club
  Label: Warner
  Release Date: June 16th, 2009
  Decision: 3/5 Mediocre…You’ll enjoy it, but go download the singles first!
  Favorite Tunes: “100 Little Curses”

1. The Background

Belle says,

Street Sweeper Social Club is Tom Morello and Boots Riley.  There is a great video on youtube of both of them describing the origins of the band. Boots Riley says that these songs are, “anthems for the revolution.”  Morello says that they both, “go to a lot of rallies.”  Both musicians agree that they are tired of boring, peaceful protest songs.  Also, they were wanting to create choruses that people can latch onto easily.

They are “outspoken policial activists” (via wikipedia) to put it mildly.  Morello formed the organization “Axis of Justice” to bring people together for social justice. I thought the organization’s website was very informative; what better way to directly address issues of social justice.  You can hear Boots Riley’s perspective on different issues during an episode of Politically Incorrect on Youtube. So, upon investigation via the internet, Morello and Riley are actually very articulately bringing together social justice and catchy music.

and Renato adds,

As has been said by Belle, Boots Riley and Tom Morello are the primary members of Street Sweeper Social Club.  Boots Riley, member of The Coup and outspoken political activist (but who isn’t this day and age?) teamed up with Morello to form a side project that just about sounds like Rage Against the  Machine. Read the rest of this entry →

I was shocked. I was stunned.

I sat speechless in my friend’s car as NPR confirmed the news that he had died. And I was genuinely sad. Read the rest of this entry →

Since North Korea recently threatened to erase the memory of the United States from all future globes sold by UltimateGlobes.com (which really does have some amazing globes), I thought it would be interesting to take a look into what the North Korean military might be marching forward to as they attempt to do their worst.

Editor’s Note: This is also of great interest to me, because, if they do decide to bomb my country, perhaps knowing what music will warn me of their approach would somehow give me some extra evac time. Who knows? Read the rest of this entry →