New Music (finally)

I've done a pretty rubbish job of running this blog the last couple of weeks. Part of that is laziness. Part is that there haven't been any albums out the past couple of weeks that I give a damn about. The new Fair record came out two weeks ago and I've been spinning that and should have a review up this week. But alas, there is finally music to care about!

Balmorhea - Constellations

Efterklang - Magic Chairs

Eluvium - Similes

High on Fire - Snakes for the Divine

Johnny Cash - American VI: Ain’t No Grave

Madlib - Medicine Show No. 2: Flight To Brazil

Rocky Votolato - True Devotion

Alright... time to listen to some records.

72 Musicians

Just caught this trailer this morning

The Album Leaf - A Chorus of Storytellers

Not to have this be taken the wrong way, but if you've been listening to The Album Leaf for any length of time then you know what you're getting when you pick up A Chorus of Storytellers. Really nice piano and rhodes lead (mostly) instrumental tracks. Jimmy LaValle vocals floating in and out. And a Chorus of Storytellers is really no different. I'd hate to LaValle's best work is behind him, but he's not breaking new ground and A Chorus of Storytellers doesn't progress or move away from Into the Blue Again.

The album opens with Perro, an airy, ambient piece that radiants the Sigur Ros influence that was heard on In a Safe Place. Then Blank Pages kicks in with the rhodes keyboard, The Album Leaf's signature sound over the years. LaValle's vocals aren't any stronger and when he sings, it seems to be a fight between trying to be a singer and be a part of the musical landscape. It's airy and strong at the same time. Which is a slight disservice to music. The vocals don't hinder the album and they're sparse enough and there's enough instrumental pieces to keep you interested, but my least facorite tracks are by far the ones where LaValle's singing.

Fans of The Album Leaf and in particular Into the Blue Again, will enjoy this record. First time fans might want to give In a Safe Place a listen first.

New music stuff

So transitioning from my full time job to having no job hasn't been as time freeing as I hoped. I mean, it has but I've been busy. So this blog has been over looked.

Anyway, the only record that came out yesterday that I care about is the new one from The Album Leaf, A Chorus of Storytellers. I'm just giving it a listen now and will hopefully have a review up sometime in the next 2 days.

Rock and Roll.

Number One Gun - To the Secrets and Knowledge

I've never really listened to Number One Gun. I gave Celebrate Mistakes a once over but that's all. So picking up To the Secrets and Knowledge, I bring a a fresh ear to a band I know nothing about.

It seems a little unfair to just right the album off as another album. Comparisons to Anberlin and Copeland are sure to come up and that might be right. But there's no needs to ignore this album. To the Secrets and Knowledge is a catchy album full of great songs.

Jeff Schneeweis vocals swing into falsetto on the albums opener The Victory, a tinkling synth plays in the background of the track. The opening to Big Machines sounds like something from Copeland's In Motion. After a strong first half, the album slows down for me. The People is an acoustic track that stops the face of the record. White Lies is a simple drum machine and keyboard song.

The album ends with a cover of Journey's Don't Stop Believing, a song I personally dislike. The cover doesn't do much for me. It doesn't stray far from the orignal and the autotune on the vocals bug me.

Overall To The Secrets and Knowledge is a catchy emo pop record with a handful of strong songs.

Living Sacrifice - The Infinite Order

Let the Metal Onslaught Continue! \m/

7 years after Conceived in Fire came out Living Sacrifice are back with The Infinite Order. And they're just as good as ever.

The 5 songs released between the two full length albums(3 on the retrospective and the Death Machine ep) were only a brief glimpse as what LS had to offer on their return. The Infinite Order is both a return to thrash and a continuation of what LS had been doing with The Hammering Process and Conceived in Fire.

The Infinite Order doesn't disappoint. It's as if LS had never broken up. The Infinite Order put Living Sacrifice securely back on top as the best band in christian metal. The Infinite Order is 12 songs of pure metal, Living Sacrifice at their best and better then ever. And the good news, Bruce is hoping to have another record out in 2011.

Living Sacrifice have set the bar high for heavy music 2010. This one isn't to me missed.

New Music Tuesday 1.26

Only one record really matters today.

LIVING SACRIFICE!

The new Living Sacrifice album, The Infinite Order, is out today. And it's good. Really, really good.

Other stuff...

Number One Gun - To the Secrets & Knowledge

Max Richter's Memoryhouse is being reissued. Also, Cave In's Planets of Old is out on cd today.