Van Morrison - Keep It Simple

Lost Highway/Exile/Palvdor/Universal

No one can rival Morrison as a singer. No one. He has more soul in his pinky than most do in their lifelines. If only mainstream musicians these days looked up to him instead of Master P or Green Day, this might be a better world today. Unfortunately, this isn't the case, and we are stuck with having to love every new album that Morrison puts out instead of a world full of great music.
Keep It Simple is Van Morrison's....wait for it...thirty-third solo album. Jesus christ that is a lot of albums. There are some people who don't own that many albums. I realize those individuals have other problems indicitive of that statistic, but still. That's incredible, especially considering that I still haven't heard a bad song by him.
His heart lays mostly in the soul and rock category, at one point being said of: "no white man can sing like Morrison". Keep It Simple is perfection, through and through. It's his first new set of recordings since the nineties, picking up just where he left off. My personal favorite on here is "School of Hard Knocks," an almost Elton John-esq rock song. Obviously better, but still.

Carol Noonan - As Tears Go By CD & DVD STONE MOUNTAIN ARTS CENTER SET

Self-Released

Noonan is doing what she can to make the world a better place: the entire purpose of this record is to raise money for her venue, created in her barn, for the rural community of her's in Maine. It seems that most of her money she makes from her music ventures are funneled into this project. As Tears Go By is much more a showcase of the venue than her, it seems. All was tracked in her barn, showing the ambiance and feel of the room that her and a good number of people put so much heart and soul into making.
While all the songs certainly take on Noonan's signature charm, they are all covers. Ranging from Pete Seeger to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, her pick is stellar. The music is fairly different from the originals, almost entirely acoustic guitar, vocals, and an occasional accordion or double bass here and there. Cute singer/songwriter styled folk.

The Rolling Stones - Shine A Light Double CD

Interscope/Universal

The band needs no introduction. If you don't know them already, it's not worth the effort: you've already missed too much that you will never catch up to the rest of the world.
Shine A Light is the "soundtrack" to Martin Scorsese's produced live film under the same name (it isn't as much a soundtrack as it is just the audio portion of the film). The music is as you would expect: perfect. It's The Rolling Stones for hell's sake! It is them doing exactly what they have been doing for the past thousand years flawlessly, and will probably do for the next thousand as well.
Included on here, as far as music goes, is all the best, plus a few interesting cameos (Jack White, Buddy Guy and Christina Aguilera). I don't need to explain this anymore. You all already know what it will be like: perfect.

Bluff City Backsliders - Self-Titled

Yellow Dog/Burnside

The awkward hip-shaking that comes along with this CD is inescapable. Bluff City Backsliders are much more than a blues band, but certainly growing from the traditions. Moments are taken from New Orleans traditions, along with definite hints from Appalachian mountain schemes, but this band wraps it up somehow that really makes it all seem rather seamless.
The vocalist seems consistent, somehow picking a vocal style that, at worst, works with the music, and at best, rests as the brightest silver-lining of the whole album. Every blues instrument imaginable is showcased for at least a few minutes here and there, but mostly just use extensive slide guitar, jug bass, and trombone. The only thing that would ruin this band for me is if they don't have beards, but with the music given, I highly doubt it.

Jeff Healey - Mess Of Blues

Ruf/Stony Plain

It's incredibly sad to read that this album was released posthumously, just over a month and a half after Healey lost the war to cancer. Mess Of Blues is a live album, compiling his favorite, recorded at a smoky club in Toronto last last year. He preformed with his favorite accompanying musicians, and, as anyone who can listen to this record can tell, gave everything he had into. Stricken blind as a toddler, Healey is honestly a prodigy: preforming from the age 6 and never stopping. He's released tons of records, and sold millions, and continued playing up until the end.
Mess Of Blues was his only attempt to get back into the more rock-end of blues, and it came out beautifully. His voice compliments his style precisely, and doesn't miss a single beat. To be honest, the only thing I would change would be to make this a DVD instead of a CD: he has a special style of playing guitar which is just incredible to see. Instead of the under-the-neck hand positioning that almost any electric guitar player uses, Healey played over-the-neck, which just gave his live show so much soul and energy that it is heartbreaking to know that he's gone.

Randy Travis - Around The Bend CD & DVD SET

Warner Bros.

Randy Travis has been releasing albums for over a decade, sticking to his country roots and traditional style of his. Around The Bend doesn't waver, and doesn't leave any fan wanting more. Travis' personal style relies heavily on rock and roll influences, but never steps outside the proverbial country box.
His deep and direct voice carries each track, incorporating lyrics about his past as a juvenile delinquent, and his long-term relationship with his publicist, which only recently was made public. Travis' hooks are superb, and doesn't overuse any of the elements that is the downfall of a majority of country (too much honky-tonk in the voice, too much glam, or too heavy-handed on the production knob).
Speaking of production, Around The Bend is close to perfect for me personally: using the tricks sparingly and enough to make an impact, and still reflecting what it is: a man with his guitar.
******Shelton's Single Of The Week: "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright"*******

Various Artists - Vans Warped Tour 2003 Tour Compilation

SideOneDummy

To be honest, this is where Warped Tour started going downhill. This is where punk started falling out of fashion, and soul-less indie rock and hardcore became the archetypal Warped Tour icons. Opening track "Your Silence," by Suicide Machines, is a great start though. I missed this band so much, and finally after years re-bought Battle Hymns, by far their best album.
After that, we have what I would expect: The Used, a mediocre excuse for edgy music. While there are still some gems on here (including Andrew W.K., The Briggs, the Avoid One Thing song with Matt Skiba, and, yes, Audio fucking Karate), for the most part this is a big bummer.
************LATE BUT GREAT***********

David Saw - Broken Down Figure

Iris

While I'm not one to denounce sappy music, it should be noted that if you do, this is not for you. Sappy to the point that Broken Down Figure really lies on the fence between that and cheese. Points are too much, but overall it isn't overbearing for me personally. This is the sort of act that would open for John Mayer, or at least be next to Heavier Things in the CD collection.
Really low key acoustic guitar and singing seem to be more and more of a theme these days, and this is just following the footsteps. The lyrics seem heartfelt enough, but at times start to bore me, with so very little to grab onto due to so little energy. A few tracks, like"Buy My Record", are a bit more upbeat, with hints of blues here and there. The artwork and layout, on the other hand, is phenomenal: oddly put together digi-pack with more of that minimalist artwork I love so much.

The Weepies - Hideaway

Nettwerk

The Weepies play cutesy pop music. I'm all about it. Consisting of Deb Talan and Steve Tannen, the band compiles the best of so many worlds: mainstream pop with elements of singer/songwriter cuteness ala Kimya Dawson, and topping everything up with the back and forth male/female vocal style that gets me every time. Really.
If you ever want to make sure there is a record I will like? Just have male and female-back and forth vocals and I'll guarantee you a spot at the top. Minor electronics riddle the whole release, but not enough to shine through. Just enough to add the appropriate emphasizes and accents. To add to all of this, the novelty of Mandy Moore's co-writing on a song makes this really golden. Hell yeah.

David Wilcox - Airstream

What Are

I generally try not to be overly mean to bad albums. I really do. I don't want to be an asshole, but sometimes I just have to say it: this is not good. Yes, Wilcox can sing, and yes, he is a competent guitar player. Actually, his lyrics are incredibly personal, and I commend that. But these only count for so much.
Airstream is, as blunt as humanly possible, is just not good. Incredibly boring and predictable progressions, coupled with vocal style that I can't really take seriously, I couldn't make it past the first few tracks.

The Myriad - With Arrows, With Poise

Koch

I usually expect for winners of national competitions to be mediocre at best. American Idol? The records that came out of that were all sub par. And I would especially think less of acts who have gotten prestige from MTV contests. After winning "Dew Circuit Breakout" The Myriad actually broke all of those ideas in my head. This band is actually good. Not like, "good in the spectrum of known music", but genuinely something worth listening to that is on MTV. This hasn't happened since The Colour And The Shade had a video from it on just about once a day.
With Arrows, With Poise is a hipster approach to Radiohead. Electronics heavy, and not really holding back with the very obviously Yorke-inspired melodies, The Myriad has something pretty original. Moments peak through that could be on an Arcade Fire album, but still don't directly lift themes from them: rather expanding on ideas and really reconstructing them for this album.
Everything flows, and the style allows for enough freedom to both play around with just about any instrument or style they want but not sound all that out of place. There are certainly higher points than others, but all around this is really good.

Dave Gahan - Hourglass Remixes

Mute/Virgin/Capitol/EMI

While the original was criticized for sounding too much like Depeche Mode, Hourglass Remixes sound virtually nothing like it, aside from momentary progressions and the few times when Gahan's voice shines through.
The remixes are incredibly electronic driven (not to say that the original wasn't), forcing the album to take on a much more ambient and terrifying feel that the original only dabbled in. I'm not well versed in underground musicians, so I don't really recognize any of the artists on here, but most of them are spot on. I still think I prefer Depeche Mode, but this is only a halfstep back.

Black 47 - Fire Of Freedom

SBK/EMI

This band does not stay in the same place for more than five minutes. Comprised of Celtic ex-patriots, Fire Of Freedom is an odd culmination of bands such as Madness, Chumbawamba, and even pieces of Duran Duran, all the while smothered in Irish folk styled progressions. It's bizarre, but really familiar to me still. I think mostly because I grew up listening to those three bands intensely, so it just works for me.
Add their intensely political lyrics about state oppression, love in such a fucked up world, and militarism to boot, this comes highly recommended to anyone with good taste in music.

P.O.D. - When Angels & Serpents Dance

INO/Columbia/Sony BMG

After four years of inactivity, San Diego's P.O.D. have finally returned with a new record. And to be honest, I was not expecting much. Just the typical rock-rap nonsense that went on for much longer than it should have and I was hoping was dead by now.
This isn't quite as bad as I was expecting. While other bands in the category generally follow an archetypal formula for making music marginally heavy and fully accessible to any angsty teenager with bad taste in music, When Angels & Serpents Dance is miles more interesting than any of those bands to pop up in 2001 ever were.
Heavily Black Sabbath influenced, which probably had a big sway as to how this band's music became acceptable, the music has now become heavy and certainly worth a listen if nothing else. Vocalist Sonny holds back more with the rapping, which is also a solid plus, but continues with the aggression in his approach that made "Southtown" their leaping point into fame. Tons of cameos (The Marley Sisters on an embarrassing reggae track, one of the dudes from Helmet, and the singer of Suicidal Tendencies), and extensive production makes the whole release incredibly clear. The other big plus of this album is that the artwork theme is actually kind of awesome. The negatives? The last track, "Rise Against," is not a Black Flag cover and the band is still Christian.

Peter Cooper - Mission Door

Red Beet

I appreciate it when singer/songwriters don't sound like every other singer/songwriter. Imagine that. Why would someone possibly want something new and original sounding? Well, Peter Cooper has it. While not my favorite thing I have heard all day, it is still enough out of the league of every other half-assed musician out there that it catches my attention while still remaining enjoyable. Hell, while still good.
Mission Door is an incredibly personal look inside Cooper's head, taking liberties with song topics and branching outside the "love, loss, and whiskey" topics that so often dominate every genre of music. That's not to say that those don't sneak on here and there, but there is more than that. Musically, there are odd similarities between Cooper and Dylan. No, I'm not saying he's as good as Dylan, but it's a very similar approach to music that they both share that just brings out a shinning link between the two. Lots of finger picking, but heavily incorporated country-esq lead lines balances everything up pretty nicely.
****Shelton's Second Single Of The Week "715 (For Hank Aaron)"****

Fixer - Before The Sun

Riker Hill

This is mediocre hard rock, at best. Fixer has an undeniable New York sound, but doesn't get much further than this. They lay heavily in that mid-to-late-90's category with bands like Fuel and Stone Temple Pilots, but doesn't really bring anything impressive to the table like those bands did (well, at least STP. I have quiet low opinions of Fuel...).
The singer's voice is a bit squawky, and no one in the band does anything particularly interesting at any point on this record. Sorry, but this is just does nothing for me.

Joe Jackson - Rain CD & DVD SET

Rykodisc

Rain, the newest release from England's Joe Jackson, is a bit of a new step for the ex-New Wave Costello-esq punk rocker. Electronics are virtually non-existent here, and isn't all that punk for the most part. Instead, Jackson decided to take the Ben Folds Five model and dwell in that atmosphere for a while: a band consisting solely of drums, bass, and piano.
For the most part, the album actually just sounds like BFF, using similar vocal melodies to Whatever And Ever Amen, and using some chord progressions that I swear I've heard before. All of that should be taken with a grain of salt, though, because the album is still stellar. Dark at points, and really upbeat and poppy at others, it has quite a spectrum within the construct-style. The record is certainly interesting enough to keep your attention, but not diverse enough to make it seem rigid and jumpy. Solid.

Robyn - Robyn

Konichiwa/Cherry Tree/Interscope

Wow. This is not at all what I expected. I vaguely remember Robyn from her short lived 90's career as another of the teenage-pop-star clones, but this is not the same Robyn at all. This is a mature, abrasive, and more fun Robyn. Yes, "fun" and "abrasive" are usually deemed mutually exclusive, but not here: Robyn is an aggressive flow of electronic pop gems that is the new step in her career.
The intro track starts with a sassy snap of Robyn, then a man, with a deep voice, talking about how awesome Robyn is (including crediting her with a two-million point score in Tetris and curing AIDS), which immediately flows into "Konichiwa Bitches," a minimalist electronic masterpiece which is more rapped than sung, but still keeps a pop sensibility to it all. Tons of layered vocals, and really silly and fun beats all around.
***So Nice, Gotta Do It Up Twice (Created by the Original NYC DJ, Jocko, 1955)***

OMD - Architecture & Morality & More

Eagle Rock

While I have never been one of the OMD fanatcis, I've always been a huge fan. Years and years before their time, incorporating elements and sounds that really were never used again, and taking on a style that was later completely redefined by their works, the band certainly made a mark on the world that most only fantasize about. OMD (which is actually the short hand for the obvious mouthful that is Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark) were around in the late 70's and, depending on who you ask, ended either in the second half of the 80's or the second half of th 90's. In 1988, the band split apart, leaving two bands, neither of which were very good. One retained the name for a little under 10 years, then accepted their demise. At least for a while. In 2006, they made possibly the best decision of their lives: reunite with the original lineup, record a new album, and completely forget the split ever happened.
And that is Architecture & Morality & More folks. This is the beginning of the second coming of OMD. Recorded mid-last year, the live album is fairly blunt about what it is: all of their Architecture & Morality album, along with some of their other best songs to go along. They musically take on incredibly goth elements, incorporating synth-punk and new-wave to create a sound that literally paved the way for hundreds of bands. Incredibly poppy and dark, kind of bizarre at points, and impeccable use of electronics, OMD flourish in the niche that they paved for themselves so long ago. Included on here is my favorite song by them, "Enola Gay", which is itself worth buying the record for. This comes highly recommended.

Pat Metheny - Day Trip

Nonesuch/Warner Bros.

I can describe just about any track on this album, and tell you what you will be hearing with about one line per instrument: the drumming is faster jazz drumming with brushes, the bass is doing a great job at walking jazz bass lines, and the guitar play is basically soloing from beginning to end, bordering on masturbation. A few moments here and there have horn, but this, for the most part, is identical through and through.
Personally, I'm into this style of jazz: fast and upbeat, and almost taking notes from the free jazz movement, but generally monotonous from beginning to end. If you are interested in an hour of the same jazz song, this is perfect for you.

George Strait - Troubadour

MCA Nashville

All too hip indie sensations The Raveonettees do not let go. They are everywhere. Maybe it's because I live in hipster haven that is Santa Cruz that worships Pitchfork Media and Vice magazine, or perhaps it's because this band is actually everywhere, but I feel like I can't turn a corner without hearing about this band's newest doings, or what any other cohort band in the similar genre is up to.
Don't get me wrong, I totally like this band. I just get annoyed to hear about the same band over and over and over again. Maybe they are just that good. The two piece, consisting of members Sune Wagner and Sharin Foo, create lo-fi atmosphere through harsh noise and feedback, but don't especially hold back on the 60's iconography.
Not only do they pay tribute to white soul-less soul from our recent past, but also use artwork that is quite reminiscent of the time period. Lust, Lust, Lust is them at their peak: a majority of the album is just a mess of unintelligible hooks buried heavily underneath fuzzed out everything. Think a better Jesus and the Mary Chain. center>

***If You Like Music, You're Gonna' Love This!***

Hands up
Guns out
Represent the world town

Sick of all the shit that's keeping me down
Dead from the waist down
It's easy staying down
I never thought about it twice
But you do pay the price
It aint your weekly cash that feeds my mum the rice

Yo don't be calling me desperate
When I'm knocking on the door
Every wall you build I'll knock it down to the floor
See me see me bubbling quietly
See me see me acting like you ain't met me
See me see me bubbling quietly
See me see me acting like you ain't met me

Hands up
Guns out
Represent the world town

Look at what you did, you done it before
Every little dollar just keeps me down more
I never had you on my side bubbling on my side
Why they tell me different
When they make me explodified

Yo dont be calling me desperate
When i'm knocking on the door
Every wall you build i'll knock it down to the floor
See me see me bubbling quietly
See me see me acting like you ain't met me
See me see me bubbling quietly
See me see me acting like you ain't met me

Hands up
Guns out
Represent the world town

Political Article: The Pentagon's Corrupt Sock Puppet 'Military Analaysts' Exposed By:Gareth Porter Back To Top In Sunday's New York Times, investigative reporter David Barstow exposes television's "military analysts" on the Iraq War as sock puppets of the Pentagon who consciously peddle the Bush administration's talking points on Iraq while hiding their own vested economic interest in selling the public on the Bush administration's happy talk about the war. This very long and very well-documented story lays bare the most blatantly obnoxious feature of the "Military-Industrial-Media Complex" which ensures that the airwaves convey the administration's major messages on the war day in a day out. The story should mobilize the blogosphere and news media figures who still have some integrity to demand immediate reform of a massively corrupt network system of covering military affairs. For starters, the networks should be forced to fire every "military analyst" who has been recruited accepted all-expenses-paid trips to Iraq, uncritically mouthed the administration talking points while concealing their special relationship or maintained vested financial interests in Pentagon contracts through business relationships with contractors. Based on 8,000 pages of email messages, transcripts and records, Barstow recounts a successful effort by Donald Rumsfeld's Pentagon to use retired military officers to create a "media Trojan horse" on the Iraq War. Not only did the "military analysts" routinely violate basic ethical standards of journalism by accepting trips completely arranged and paid for the administration; they were consciously participating in its strategy to manipulate public opinion by regurgitating the pro-war arguments they were given in top-level official briefings - which they had to promise to keep secret. But even worse, Barstow shows how they had a personal financial stake in parroting the administration's war propaganda. He reports that several dozen military analysts who appear constantly on Fox, CNN and other networks and invariably support the administration's line "represent more than 150 military contractors either as lobbyists, senior executives, board members or consultants." Even when they knew they were being fed Pentagon BS, these agents of the war system could not utter a critical word about administration policy. They were afraid of retribution from Pentagon officials who could affect contracts for which their companies were competing. One corrupted former television analyst told Barstow he refrained from even the slightest criticism of the Pentagon's policies because of the fear "some four-star could call up and say, 'Kill that contract.'" Several of these officers told Barstow that even the "mildest criticism" would bring telephone calls expressing official displeasure within minutes of being on the air. When one analyst went so far as to say that the United States was "not on a good glide path right now" in Iraq, the Pentagon immediately "fired" him from the analysts group which had received privileged access to high-ranking administration officials. In the most egregious cases, such as retired Air Force general Thomas G. McInerney of Fox News, "analysts" operated just like employees of the Pentagon. McInenery assured the Pentagon in an e-mail in late 2006 that he would use in his on-air appearances the latest talking points that he had just been given. The story of the Pentagon's "media Trojan horse" should bring overwhelming public pressure for the immediate termination of any "military analyst" who has been compromised by links with the Pentagon and/or its business allies. The television networks should adopt transparent rules about who can and can't be hired as analysts on military issues that would keep out paid agents of the war system. Unfortunately the networks themselves appear to be such an integral part of that system that they couldn't care less about conflicts of interest.

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