The Shadow of an Empire

 

"Do you like dags?"

Sorry, I had to quote Snatch there, the guy's Irish.  Irish singer-songwriter Fionn Regan just recently released his follow-up album to his 2006 "The End of Histroy," which was nominated for a Mercury Prize.  Released on February 8th, 2010, Fionn Regan falls into a mess of genres, ranging from rock, alternative, indie, and singer-songwriter.  He received an overall Metacritic score of 82 and a BBC Music score of 80. 

Fionn Regan's new album is a lot of fun.  It starts with the very upbeat "Protection Racket," but he's not just some pop junkie.  He's true to his rock and alternative roots, while maintaining a sort of indie feel.  The one thing that really impresses me about him is that you can tell that he's passionate about what he's doing.  He takes pride in singing the lyrics, playing the guitar tabs, and just creating music overall.  His sound is very original, and I can't manage to really connect him firmly to anybody else.  A few of his songs are a bit reminiscent of Modest Mouse and some of the back beats (guitar and drums in particular) sound a bit like The Fratellis.  

Each song has its own individual flair to it and definitely stands out among the album as a whole.  However, each song isn't so diverse from the one that preceded it that it feels like there's absolutely no connection.  There are no awkward transitions between songs, in fact they all seem to lead into one each other seamlessly, mainly because of Regan's unique sound; that is the one thing that is present in each and every song.  "Genocide Matinee" and "Violent Demeanour" probably have the most radical jump within the album.  "Genocide Matinee" is fast paced and almost furious in its message, whereas "Violent Demeanour" is a more slow paced lamentation.  Although these songs are back to back and one notices a radical change in the pace of the album, Regan manages to make a smooth transition, his unique style and voice as the bridge. 

The album as a whole, if it really conveys anything is his passion for music and how much he wants to stand out from within the music community.  He does this successfully.  He's definitely something new and although he may sound like a lot of indie bands coming out of the wood works right now, he manages to intertwine alternative and rock, with his indie flair, to successfully stand out from the crowd.  Songs like "Lines Written in Winter" and "Lord Help My Poor Soul" really show an insight into the artist's passion for writing his own music and lyrics.  Songs like "Protection Racket" and "House Detective" really show how much fun Regan is having with his music; you can really tell he's doing something he cares about.  Overall, Regan has a really unique style, standing out from what's currently out there, but manages to not change it too radically and to mix genres that are relatively similar to one another.  If you're interested in trying something new that's fun to listen to and is a quick listen, I would definitely recommend this.  The Shadow of the Empire gets an 85 from me.

Take a listen here.

Crazy Heart OST

"Life, unfortunately"

If you haven't seen Crazy Heart yet, you should.  If you haven't heard of Crazy Heart yet, I don't know where you've been (Jeff Bridges is nominated for an Oscar, come on).  Seldom do I go see a movie and after having seen it say, "I have to have that sound track."  In fact, its only happened with three movies: Atonement, Wanted, and Crazy Heart.  Atonement has a great score and is a really beautiful soundtrack.  I originally got the Wanted sound track because at the very start of the song it has a NIN song from "With Teeth".  Unfortunately, that song isn't on the OST, and everything else in it isn't particularly intriguing.  Crazy Heart was the third.  To give you a bit of a feel for the movie, it stars Jeff Bridges as Bad Blake, a washed up country star who has resorted to singing in bars and bowling alleys.  Another young country star, Tommy (Colin Farrell), is Bad Blake's protege, supposedly learned everything he knows from Bad Blake, and is a huge country star.  Blake refuses to write new songs and therefore continues to play his old hits, none of which can snag him an up scale venue.  Blake also deals with a drinking problem through out the entire movie, which, if anyone has seen it, reminds viewers of last year's academy hit "The Wrestler".  Later in the movie he meets Jean Craddock, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is an aspiring journalist.  When she asks him where his his songs come from, Bad Blake simply responds, "Life, unfortunately," as he pours himself a bottle of whiskey.

The OST for Crazy Heart has an incredible compilation of songs from both the actors in the movie as well as several country stars, including Buck Owens, The Louvin Brothers, Ryan Bingham, Waylon Jennings, Townes Van Zandt, Sam Phillips, and a special appearance by Lightnin' Hopkins, a country blues artist from the late 50s to the late 60s.  The originals from the movie are done by Jeff Bridges, Collin Farrell, and an a capella performance by Robert Duvall.  To start out, I need to say that anyone who knows me will say that I listen to any type of music except for country.  I still hold true to that for the most part; I can't stand the twangy, ear bleeding non-sense.  However, for the most part, all of the country in the Crazy Heart OST I really enjoy.  I think the reason for that is because all but one of the artists (Ryan Bingham) are older country artists, which is definitely more tolerable, at least for me.  The use of these older country artists like Buck Owens and Waylon Jennings really helps to develop the character of Bad Blake.  In the movie, Gyllenhaal conducts an interview with Bridges, asking him who his influences are.  With about a 20-30 year age difference, he lists a few artists she's never heard of.  Bad Blake is true to his old country roots and this can be heard in all of the original songs by Jeff Bridges in the OST. 

The order of the songs also leads you through the story line: in the beginning of the movie, Bridges is happy with his life and refuses to change, which can be heard in the upbeat song "Somebody Else"; he then has to confront issues with his relationship to both Tommy (Ferrell) and Jean (Gyllenhaal), represented by the song "Fallin' & Flyin'"; finally, the second to last song of the album, "Brand New Angel," reflects Blake's difficulty in confronting his long present alcoholism.  Jeff Bridges does an incredible job with each performance and if I had heard this before seeing the movie, not knowing who Jeff Bridges was, I would think he was an old time country star.  Collin Ferrell does a subpar performance with all of his songs, but as far as his character in the movie, Tommy, goes, he does an excellent job.

The album really leads you through the story of Crazy Heart, using Jeff Bridges' songs and Collin Ferrell's, accompanied by Robert Duvall's solo as a means.  The other songs, however, don't detract from this storyline.  After having seen the movie, they really connect to each other and fill in the Bad Blake-less gaps.  The most striking artist among these, however, has to be Lightnin' Hopkins.  Not only is he the only African American artist in the OST, but he's the only true blues artist (in fact, I would call him strictly a blues artist before I would call him a country blues artist).  His song, "Once A Gambler" expresses a huge amount of emotion, and really foreshadows the coming confrontation Bad Blake is going to have with his alcoholism, relating Hopkins' own gambling problem.  

The most stand out performances among the actors definitely has to be Jeff Bridges "Brand New Angel" and Robert Duvall's "Live Forever".  Robert Duvall, surprisingly, does a great job with his solo.  His character, Wayne, is the sole support for Bad Blake getting over his alcoholism.  This song really brings the listener back to ground and coveys a strong, wise message that is crucial for Bad Blake within the movie.  This would have to be the most surprising and most profound song within the entire OST.  "Brand New Angel" is a beautiful song, with a somber blues feels, but also a touch of hopefulness.  Jeff Bridges really keeps true to Bad Blake's old country inspiration in this song, really emulating Sam Phillips.  It not only represents old country, but also portrays the character of Bad Blake, who he is, and his story all in one.

The only thing that bothers me in this OST is the repetition of songs.  The song "I Don't Know" is played twice, once by Ryan Bigham and once by Jeff Bridges (personally, if I had to choose between the two, I would choose Bridges' version). These two versions of "I Don't Know" are only separated by one song, "Fallin' & Flyin'," which is also played twice, once by Jeff Bridges and another as a duet by Collin Farrell & Jeff Bridges.  The version of "I Don't Know" by Ryan Bingham and the version of "Fallin' & Flyin'" with just Jeff Bridges, although they covey a more in depth message in concerns to the story line, are a bit useless and redundant; keep the duet and the original by Jeff Bridges.  Overall, that's the only real complaint I have about the album and Jeff Bridges does an incredible job.  Him, coupled with the old country stars and the outstanding Lightnin' Hopkins, really make this a joy to listen to and bring me closer to being a country fan... maybe.  The Metacritic score for this album was an 83, but I'm going to have to give it an 88.

Take a listen here.

More Recent Art

I seem to only do sketchbooks when people make me...

I really wish I had the drive to keep a sketchbook on my own time, but I really only keep one when people make me. At least, I only make good sketches when people make me. What's funny is its not like I think I'm doing it for a grade because I turn my sketches in late 80% of the time. Meh, whatever, I guess its an anomaly. Here's some of my more recent sketches that I've done. Enjoy!

XXXX

No, I'm not reviewing an adult film... I wonder how that would go over though...

The album I will be reviewing today is You Say Party! We Say Die!'s new album "XXXX". We're going up Nort' for this band; they're canucks! They released this album in Canada last fall and just released it here in the US on February 9th, 2010. So far, its received some pretty good reviews: an 80 in both All Music Guide and NOW Magazine, and with an overall Metacritic score of 73.

This band falls all over themselves with concerns to music genres; they can be tossed into rock, indie, alternative, and pop. For me, personally, the pop and rock stand out for me most. When it comes to female vocalists backed by a rock ensemble, its hard not to fall into the idea that all female vocalist rock bands sound the same. Fortunately enough for You Say Party! We Say Die! they bring to mind other successful female bands, reaching as far back as the 1980s with The GO-GOs and more recently to The Donnas. "Glory" is very reminiscent of The GO-GOs hit "We Got the Beat". Almost immediately I thought of The GO-GOs while listening to that song. It has a very poppy, upbeat rhythm to it, that definitely brings out the pop side in YSP!WSD!. Their song "Cosmic Wanship Avengers" draws more from The Donnas with a bit of a more "we're strong, rebellious women" attitude. This song definitely draws up from their rock attitude with a consistently fast guitar line and drum beat, accompanied by the anthem like lyrics that definitely gives the idea that a mob of women are singing the song.

Throughout the album, the rock side of YSP!WSD! is definitely brought out more than the pop side. The song "Make XXXX" is a bit more poppy than some of the other songs, but still has a very strong rock quality. After that, they do start to bring out their alternative side a bit more, in fact, for the whole last half of their album entirely. Whereas the first half was more rock and pop, the last half is definitely more alternative and indie. "XXXX/ Loyalty" seems to be the lone standing "rock" song within the last half of the song. Now, do they do a good job of balancing this? Yes, for the most part, they do. They definitely lean more towards rock and alternative, shying away from the pop and indie side a bit, which is unfortunate because "Glory" is definitely one of my more liked songs on the album. Their last song "Heart of Gold" definitely shows why they can some times fall into the indie category. Its a very soft song and if you didn't know better, you'd would think its an entirely different band, falling somewhere along the lines of A Fine Frenzy or even Enya.

As far as the album as a whole goes, I like it. However, there are some parts I like more than others. Like I said before, this band is literally tripping all over itself in the genre department: they fall into rock, indie, pop, and alternative. This, however, isn't an advantage for them. They do the rock and the alternative really well, however, I think they're rock/pop is almost their strongest factor. If they're still trying to figure out what their sound is, its evident from the album that they're leaning towards rock/alternative. Personally, I think that's unfortunate because I do like their song "Glory" so much and it is so reminiscent of The GO-GOs. "Heart of Gold" although its a pretty song, really doesn't fit into the album; YSP! WSD! really should not venture into the indie realm, especially when the whole rest of the album is rock/alternative. Their pop aspect fits in because they manage to merge it into the rock/alternative, but "Heart of Gold" sticks out like a sore thumb and is a very disappointing end to the album.

Although they draw on many female vocalists, The Donnas and the GO-GOs among them, I think that You say Part! We Say Die! is still really trying to figure out where they fit into the picture. If this were their first album, I would understand more, but its their third. They may catch a break because it is, however, their first album to be released into the US. Also, if anyone decides to give them a listen, in the songs "There is XXXX (Within My Heart)" and "Make XXXX", try to see if you notice a sort of howling noise they make. Its supposed to be a bird, I think, but regardless, if anyone has listened to Shakira's "She Wolf", it definitely sounds like it was inspired by her "howl"; I just thought it was funny. In the end, You Say Party! We Say Die!, although they draw from several female vocally led bands, whether inadvertently or not, they struggle to find their own sound. If they don't find their own sound soon, they'll soon fall into that idea that all female vocal rock bands sound the same and will be quickly forgotten. Overall, I give the album a 74. Give it a listen here.

Coming up tomorrow: "Crazy Heart OST"

I had some free time, so...

I thought I'd put up a bit of my artwork. I figure I'll still want to review music, but I have about 20-30 minutes of spare time, so why not put up a bit of my art work? These few pictures I'm putting up are from my painting class as of last semester. Hopefully I'll be able to put up some new stuff relatively soon. Let me know what you think!

This one was a non-object in Acrylic. Its probably my favorite I did that semester.

This one was just a still life in Acrylic. It didn't turn out entirely the way I wanted it to, but I like it. This one is based off of the Ezra Pound poem"In a Station of the Metro."
In a Station of the Metro

THE apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough. This one is my final project. Its a 4'x6' piece of plywood with spray paint. I took a few details so people can see it better. I stenciled everything out with masking tape and a utility knife and then spray painted over it.

Dream Get Together

Here we go...

Just to make sure I was ready to sit down and write this review of sorts, I made sure to listen to that album a couple of times through beforehand; I'm on my third listen through now as we speak. Citay's third-full length album "Dream Get Together" is their first to really be nationally recognized. I haven't listened to their other two, but I'm strongly considering it after having listened to their newest one. Its a relatively new album, released January 26th, 2010. The band is based out of San Francisco and has a sort of rock/ indie feel. Its a relatively short album, only eight songs long, but still keeps you looping through the tracks well after it has finished. It starts off with a lighthearted song called "Careful with that Hat". This song is probably one of my favorites among the album. The transition between it and the next song (only 0:54 seconds long after the 6:59 long tune of "Careful with that Hat) is great and gives the listener a little break, hence the title "Return from Silence". Citay likes to focus mainly on their instrumentals which consists of a front acoustic and electric guitar, backed up by a running bass line and some simple drumming. The vocals come in occasionally, and when they do, they compliment the instrumentals really well, being either a happy or an ambient chant.

In the albums title song, "Dream Get Together", you hear a bouncy beat coupled with simple almost folkish vocals. The bouncy pace keeps up with "Secret Breakfast", but changes a bit with a bit of a more relaxed melody, easing the listener into the first down-paced song, "Mirror Kisses". "Mirror Kisses" is definitely in competition with "Careful with that Hat" for my favorite song on the album. It has a very slow, simple acoustic rhythm with a slow bass line behind. The vocals are in a slightly higher octave and have a very ambient, flowing quality to them. A female vocalist later comes in to compliment the lead vocalist, which only increases its ambiance, giving the song a very dreamy, loving quality. The song slowly leads into "Hunter", which still contains Citay's basics, acoustic, electric guitar, simple drums and simple bass. The instrumentals are coupled with the almost silent cooing of a few female vocalists. This song, coupled with "Mirror Kisses", really helps to slow down the upbeat pace of the first three songs. Outside of the female vocalists, who are almost entirely drowned out once the electric guitar begins its own signing, "Hunter" is almost entirely instrumentals. Citay does a good job of balancing vocals and instrumentals in this album. They have songs with vocals, but not so few that its awkward to hear them sing, wanting them to just shut up and play, but not so many that you wish they would convey their ability to play an instrument. They emphasize their vocalist's skills just as much as they do that of the guitarists, the bassist, and drummer.

"Fortunate Sun" brings the album back to a bit of lightheartedness, bringing back some simple soft vocals. A running bass line compliments the softness of the lyrics and the constant strumming of the acoustic really helps to accentuate it. This song, along with "Hunter" are the longest on the album, separated only by six seconds (7:02 vs. 7:08). Having the two longest songs in the album back to back may seem weird, but "Hunter" rounds out the more down-trodden" part of the album and "Fortunate Sun" really lifts the listener back up. Once again, Citay does a good balancing act, but this time, within one song. In "Fortunate Sun", the vocals, guitars, drums, and bass all get their fair share of the seven minutes. The song ends on a softer note, adding in a little bit of piano and some synthesizing to bring back that ambient quality that was heard in "Mirror Kisses".

The album finishes out with the 3:45 long "Tugboat". As far as I'm concerned, this song is a perfect one to end on. Its a perfect blend between the ambient and upbeat that has been seen throughout the album. The instrumentals and the vocals compliment each other incredibly well and both show their importance throughout the album. Overall, I was impressed with Citay's album and "Dream Get Together" may make me a fan. Overall, I would have to go a little bit above the Metacritic score of 76 and give Citay a solid 80. Although the album isn't very long, the songs, even though having the same elements to all of them, have a great variety and stager the tone throughout the album, without making it seem awkward. Artists who often try to merge upbeat with a bit of a slower pace tend to be unsure as to what order to put the songs in. Citay, however, eases the listener into every song and there are no awkward transitions. I would definitely recommend this album to anyone who likes rock/indie, but is looking for a new experiment.

Check it out and take a listen here.

EDIT: Just a special note, the link I provided up above to take a listen is to Amazon.com. I don't know how long they're doing this for, but as of now, "Careful with that Hat" is a FREE download! Take a listen, its totally FREE and LEGAL!

And so it begins...

Hugh

Huey, if you prefer

I've always wanted to start a blog, but I've never been quite sure what to start one about. Most people know me as a gamer or an artist, and admittedly I'm both. Even though I'm both of those things, I never thought it was really something to start a blog about. However, I'm also a HUGE music junkie. I never really considered myself one, I really just thought of myself as someone who just really enjoyed some good music. However, as of late, I've found myself listening anywhere from 2-5 brand new albums a week. I figured I could start writing about the music I listen to and then branch off from there. We'll see how it goes. Its 1:26 AM where I right now though, and unless my "Snow Day Dance" works, I'll have class tomorrow morning. Although, I can't just leave it at this, I have to commit to something, so, here goes: Tomorrow I will be writing a little review for one of the albums I've been listening to, we'll start off with Citay's "Dream Get Together". See you in the 'morrow.

Hugh

Huey, if you prefer