Monday, November 30, 2009

The Music Bug


10 years ago, I was married, working a day job, and practicing about three times a week in a band that I had joined. I had always written music and had once written music with my wife, who now was wanting to settle down and just live the ordinary. I still had the need for music, because music has been the only thing that has ever moved me so, that I have never grown tired of it. You know when you're a kid, and you have hobbies, well, mine were wrestling, you know, WWF (now WWE), G.I. Joe, Star Wars, Collecting Baseball Cards, Collecting Comic Books, etc. Well, all of those things faded, but ever since I was a little boy, music has been something that has never let go. I remember my parents had an 8-track player, which is like the grandfather to a C.D., and the only 8-tracks I remember having were, The Bee Gees, Barry Manilow, and The Annie Soundtrack. Not a great selection, however, one of the first memories of music I have is jumping on the bed at about age 8, (which seems like a million years ago) to The Bee Gees, Tragedy. So, whenever my Mom took me to church and sat in the front row, I was so excited to stand for praise service and watch the drummer do what he did. Then I would go home and listen to the radio all day, just waiting to hear that one song that hit me, like Stand by R.E.M., or Goin' Back to Cali by L.L. Cool J. Its weird looking back thinking about the music that shapes us, well me anyway. In my teenage years, after watching the drummer and going home and literally playing drumsticks on a practice pad, and never having a drumset, I learned how to play the drums. Then one day it happened.....I was 14 or 15, and I went to MidWeek service. The drummer, who also worked as a contractor during the day, had dropped a chainsaw on his leg, and couldn't play drums. Someone had told my Youth Pastor that they thought I could fill in. So, that moment, where I stepped in because of an accident was no accident at all. I played with all my heart and didn't play great at all, but I felt the tug of music. After playing drums for awhile, and being teased by my Youth Church Bandmates that I didn't have to memorize any notes, therefore I wasn't a real musician, I looked for an instrument to play that was more melodic, and less rhythmic. I will continue this personal history rant at a later time with the next few years and how my life has moved forward, never letting go of this thing called, The Music Bug.

Album Review of Static and Silence by The Sundays


Though this record was made in 1997, and the band hasn't done anything since, this is one of the finest albums ever to be produced out of England. Static and Silence by The Sundays is 12 tracks of acoustic pop folk that is led by the beautiful vocals of one Harriet Wheeler. What an amazing talent, and lyrically gives the English language a beautiful turn and takes you down the road that is her mind, which mostly consists of love, everyday enjoyment, and peaceful moods. The first track, Summertime, is about relationships and the beauty thereof. Though the music may seem sad at times because of its downtempo, it still remains hopeful, and leaves you feeling quite at peace. Her voice is so soothing on track 5, When I'm Thinking About You, a poignant love song that is simple, tasteful, and quite exquisite. As a musician, I will say that the production is top-notch, and though they tended to use electric drums in their previous albums, I'm happy to say that all the instruments used were natural. So, this is another one of my all-time favorites and it gets, you guessed it, all Five Stars. Hope you enjoy it.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Album Review of Details by Frou Frou


Details by Frou Frou

This album is amazing from beginning to end. It is an album of mostly electronica production that has the beautiful voice of Imogen Heap, layered in beauty with great lyrics about life and movement. It is one of my favorite albums of all-time and was produced in 2002 with the help of Guy Sigsworth, who, prior to this album was a producer for many artists at the level of Madonna. Though this album was the only one that Frou Frou did, which is the name they decided for the project, many fans would love to hear a second out of this duo who are simply phenomonal. The first track, Let Go, was used in many television shows and some movies, and has an inspiring, wonderful feeling to it that leads into the next four tracks, which seem to stay somewhat midtempo, but allow Imogen Heap's vocals to shine amazingly. By the time you've heard her weave her way through the english language, using metaphors that are simply thought provoking, they end the C.D. with a quiet ballad about music being the one thing that moves them both towards and away from things in life, and that it truly has the power to move all of us. That last track, "The Dumbing Down of Love" is one of the main reasons this album has been heard by yours truly hundreds of times, and I still haven't even began to get bored of it. So, if you like midtempo electronica with an amazing female voice to take this often sweet, emotional music to a new level, then you will love this album.
I give it the full five stars.

Welcome to another Ordinary Life, which at times feels Extraordinary

Hello Everyone,
I am starting this blog to share the things that are going on in my life, have gone on in my life, and will go on in my life, and hopefully someone out there gets some interest out of my ramblings. I'm also going to take the time to start reviewing albums that I purchase, or albums that i've purchased, or albums I will purchase, and I hope through this blog, someone out there will have their musical horizon enhanced.
I am a musician and a huge fan of all types of music, and I am always looking for those albums that I will know I'll listen to for the rest of my life. So, I will be talking with y'all soon and hopefully i'll find some great blogs to follow myself. Have a great week.