5 comments about Follow The Lights.

1. I am a huge Ryan Adams fan, so lets get that out of the way.
   
   Follow The Lights is less a Ryan Adams album and more of a Cardinals project. Previously released Ryan Adams songs such as "This is It", "If I am a Stranger", and "Dear John" have all been re-arranged to fit in with the band.
   
   The songs are tighter, sound better, but I have to say that I kind of like the original takes just because they captured a state of mind. If this is your first experience with the tunes, I am going to guess you will prefer these versions.
   
   Adams has a gem with the Cardinals and hopes he keeps the band personnel stable and stays with the concept of having a backing band. It suits him.



2. Like many fans, I was awaiting the box set release of Ryan's records recorded between the records and was surprised to find just an EP. I was also worried when I saw the music's tie to October Road, having never seen the show I wondered how it may effect the music. The end result, however, is a great one. With several new recordings, a couple covers and reworkings of Ryan's original work, it is enough to tie both casual and hardcore fans over until the next full release. I especially enjoy the new versions of This Is It and If I Am A Stranger. The band is hitting a real stride and if you haven't been a long time fan this is the perfect place to start and wet your appetite for one of today's most prolific singer/songwriters.



3. A biased review because of my long time fanship of Ryan but he has put together a wonderful EP. It mixes new with restructured old and another fantastic cover. I am not a huge cover fan but when an artist takes a song and turns it on its head then it is worth it. I usually decry most of Hollywood and the modern music scene for not being original and remaking everything that has been done before but his renditions are so different. Buy it, it is great.



4. I love the music of Ryan Adams but this little CD is more or less a side dish compared to the main entrees of his other works. "Dear John" without Norah Jones and "If I am a Stranger" are highlights (I don't mind ol' Norah but it's nice to hear how the song might be without her).
   
   For the price, well, it's a good price. If you're a fan, definitely pick it up. I did. I don't regret it but of all his CDs I have, it's the one I put on at rare times - which is not bad, comparatively speaking, I don't own Rock N'Roll and don't plan to purchase it in the near future. ("If I Am Stranger" - I think is my favourite track...I love the acoustic rendering...)
   
   If you're new to Ryan Adams, start with Gold and work your way around, feel it out, if you prefer the alt-country (Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Lights) aspects or the folk-rock n'roller (Heartbreaker, 29, Love is Hell). This CD is not the best place to start. It's the kind of CD you want because you are a fan but if you could live without it, you would.



5. Well, something short and sweet for the Ryan Adams fans. The sound is mostly light and breezy-love the song "Blue Hotel" and the live toned down version of "This is It." Nice, soft, ear candy until you get to the cover of the Alice in Chains song "Down in a Hole." There is nothing light and breezy about this song-think Johnny Cash singing "Hurt." Adams' version is so good, you can hear and feel the devastation, even close your eyes and conjure up a vision of the broken man-perhaps because he was that man. The song is sequenced right in the middle of the cd, so unexpected, it just about took my breath away. I don't usually recommend a cd because of one song, but you are cheating yourself if you don't hear this version of "Down in a Hole." The rest of the cd is good too. Mr. Adams should keep The Cardinals around. They suit each other well. Go buy it. Now!

5 comments about Bring the Family.

1. Hiatt never sounded more gut-wrenchingly 'authentic' than on this very touching work. I recall a small documentary on his that came out at about to coincide with its launch, and if the recall is accurate, I think it was none less than John Lee Hooker who confides that when he first heard Hiatt on record, he and friends thought it was a black guy. That's some testimony to the conviction Hiatt brings to his rootsy-styles singing and playing.'Have a Little Faith in Me' has recently been re-recorded by someone who is getting current airplay, a disembowelling of it's originator's intention. It is from this point of the collection of 'Family ' songs that the big end of his muse lights up; a wonderful record for all time.



2. This was my first John Hiatt CD. I loved it so much that I've purchased several others since. This is still my favorite. In my opinion, John Hiatt is a great singer/songwriter that doesn't get the attention he deserves.



3. Bring the Family is one of the most easily likable records of the 80s, and probably the most instantly accessible of Hiatt's career. He still featurs a couple of songs off here in his live shows. The band (Hiatt, Nick Lowe on bass, Ry Cooder on guitar, and Jim Keltner on drums) would reconvene in 1992 for another overlooked gem, Little Village. Here Cooder's gentle sweeping guitar is the perfect compliment for Hiatt's "Lipstick Sunset" and "Tip of My Tongue," two of the most exquisite songs you're likely to hear. Of course the big hit is "Thing Called Love," although not until Bonnie Raitt put it out the following year.
   
   A quintessentially American record, probably the best from one of our true masters. At the place where rock, folk, country, and blues converge to form real, authentic American music. I'm calling it a classic.



4. John is always fun and interesting no matter what he's telling you about. He puts whatever he has to say in plain language and rock & roll songs. I've heard this CD over and over again and it always sounds fresh to me. I'd recommend it to anyone.



5. Hiatt is in fine voice and he's backed by the amazing Ry Cooder on tasty guitar, Nick Lowe playing solid bass and last but certainly not least the incomparable Jim Keltner on drums. The band is outstanding, playing restrained and supportive, but as much a cohesive unit as any group that Hiatt's played with. The song's are interesting, mature and provide a nice variety within the soul/country/rock genre. You might be familiar with "A Crazy Little Thing Called Love" which was a hit for Bonnie Raitt but the other tunes are equally fine on a cd which maintains excellence from start to finish and rates a solid 4+ stars

5 comments about Seven Swans.

1. This album is great. Some Sufjan fans may not like it because it's so overtly Christian, but HEY! he's a Christian! It doesn't make him uncool! I love the songs, they're solid and have great lyrics (what else would you expect from a writing major), and every fan should have this. I particularly love "Transfiguration." By the way, there are Christian themes in all of his albums - it just takes one to know one, I guess.



2. This dude's talent for gracefully articulating a personal spirituality is in the same category as Van Morrison and Leonard Cohen. Banjo and acoustic guitar are prominent throughout but often get overwhelmed by organ, synthesizer or electric guitar in the course of a song so that what begins as minimalist voice & strumming may end in a rousing symphony, with various stages in between. Profoundly mystical, both the lyrics and the music remain accessible at all times. Though fragile in places it is never precious.
   
   Despite the intricate and complex arrangements of many of the songs, two distinct styles seem to characterize the album. The acoustic guitar type includes That Dress Looks Nice On You, the yearning To Be Alone With You, the somber Abraham, Size Too Small and A Good Man Is Hard To Find. They at least all open with guitar before evolving into multilayered soundscapes and are generally of a slower tempo, often containing brooding vocals. One hears faint echoes of Nick Drake or even James Taylor - the introspective singer-songwriter archetype.
   
   The Banjo-driven tracks exhibit a more ecstatic type of devotional expression, tending to be on the mid to uptempo side with gripping melodious and percussive textures. The music reflects many moods, from the exultant praise of All The Trees Of The Field through the eerie In The Devil's Territory with its ominous synth patterns to the hopeful We Won't Need Legs To Stand with its atmospheric synth-scapes. Then you get the comforting and reassuring He Woke Me Up Again, the intense Seven Swans with its eschatological imagery and the pure ecstatic joy of The Transfiguration.
   
   The melancholy track Sister is in a category of its own: electric guitars with echo and twangs are joined by choral voices for a long intro on a gently lilting beat until the almost whispered male vocal arrives and the arrangement takes another turn. I was reminded of Michael Gira's first Angels Of Light album.
   
   My personal favorites are He Woke Me Up with its other-worldly oneiric tone, stirring organ and haunting backing vocals, the title track where the still, small voice of the Lord triggers a rousing choral exuberance, and the majestic Transfiguration.
   
   I love Seven Swans much more than the admittedly brilliant Illinois. This is not rock music, nor folk, nor even gospel. I would say it has a multifaceted devotional essence which expresses itself via a rich variety of styles whilst remaining perfectly cohesive. The effect is uplifting and inspiring, a balm to the soul.



3. The ability of this guy to gracefully articulate a personal spirituality is on the level of Van Morrison and Leonard Cohen. Banjo and acoustic guitar take prominence here but they often get overshadowed by organ, synths or electric guitar through the course of a song so that what starts out as simple, minimalist 1970s voice & strumming may end in a rousing symphony, with many stages in between. Yet both lyrics and music remain accessible throughout. Fragile at times but never precious, the sound resonates on mystical and magical wavelengths.
   
   Although many of the songs have intricate and complex arrangements, two distinct styles seem to characterize the album. The acoustic guitar type includes That Dress Looks Nice On You, the yearning To Be Alone With You, the somber Abraham, Size Too Small and A Good Man Is Hard To Find. They at least all commence with guitar before evolving into multilayered soundscapes and are generally of a slower tempo, often containing brooding vocals. One hears faint echoes of Nick Drake or even James Taylor - the introspective singer-songwriter archetype.
   
   The Banjo-driven numbers exhibit a more ecstatic type of devotional expression, tending to be on the mid to uptempo side with addictive melodious and percussive textures. The mood varies sharply, from the exultant praise of All The Trees Of The Field through the eerie track In The Devil's Territory with its ominous synth patterns to the hopeful We Won't Need Legs To Stand with its atmospheric synth-scapes. Plus you get the comforting and reassuring He Woke Me Up Again, the intense Seven Swans with its eschatological imagery and the pure ecstatic joy of The Transfiguration.
   
   The melancholy track Sister is in a category of its own: electric guitars with echo and twangs are joined by choral voices for a long instrumental intro on a gently lilting beat until the almost whispered male vocal arrives and the arrangement takes another turn. I was reminded of Michael Gira's first Angels Of Light album.
   
   The absolute highlights are He Woke Me Up with its tender oneiric quality, stirring organ and haunting backing vocals not unlike the track Warm on Great Annihilator by Swans, the title track where the still, small voice of the Lord triggers a rousing choral exuberance, and the majestic Transfiguration.
   
   I love Seven Swans much more than the admittedly brilliant Illinois. This is not rock music and hardly folk either, nor gospel at all. I would say it has a multifaceted devotional essence which expresses itself via a rich variety of styles whilst remaining perfectly cohesive. The effect is uplifting, inspiring and psychologically salubrious, like the Balm of Gilead.



4. I did not know what to expect when I first put this CD into my player. I knew the songs " to be alone with you" and "Seven swans" , so I had in me the hope that the rest of the album is as good and as moving as those tracks. I was not disappointed . The album is one of the most tender and personal I have ever listen to, and all the tracks aime straight for you heart with the soft whispers of Sufjan and his band.
   
   If you like soft lyrics and an amazing alternative rock melodies with some indie style touches, buy this CD. More than amazing melodies, you'll gain a friend.



5. Seven Swans is an essential for those who love Sufjan Stevens as much as I do. This album is one of his most insightful, melodic, and provoking. While Michigan is still my favorite, Seven Swans is a very close second. The album is almost brooding in its own right. It is truly rather haunting at times.
   
   Don't overlook this particular album because you will miss out on an eclectic, deep experience if you do.

5 comments about Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.

1. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood is a wonderful example of a brilliant singer. Neko Case gets the nod as one of the most gifted American singers with a voice like silk and a delivery that is welcomely unusual. The album is painfully short, though, clocking in at just under 38 minutes. One has to wonder why.



2. As always, a couple of cuts I could live without. Overall, a very enjoyable CD, with "Hold On" being outstanding. Great new artist with room to grow.



3. Basically, her songs are very short on this album... most are two minutes. Or even less. She reaches the top of her range, and then her song is over. If the song was longer, like Roy Orbison did, her crescendo would make sense. But the songs simply are not developed or long enough. My attention flagged. The brevity of the songs were what took over, for me.
   If only she could do a cover, I kept thinking, so I could really enjoy that voice at full tilt for more than ten seconds, or even three.
   The album art also did not satisfy. There were many drawings, and admittedly I wanted to look at pictures of her instead. There was not a single photo of her inside the fat booklet. Pictures of billboards, stacks of tape reels, drawings of semi-trucks, instead.
   Many people I'm sure would enjoy this album, but I did not care for it.



4. When I got this CD, I wasn't familiar with Neko Case, but soon I found I couldn't stop playing it back to back in an endless loop. Now, a year and a half later, even my 3 year old loves it and knows all the words since I subjected her to it constantly.
   
   It's dark, it's lovely, it gets in your bones and just won't stop. Try to turn away...I dare you.



5. This CD grew on me over time. There's several excellent tracks that will hit me immediately but then I began to realize that all of the tracks are worth _many_ repeated listens. Easily one of my favorite CD's of that year. Ms. Case's singing is impressive -- strong and clear at all times. Her musicianship is just as impressive. Her lyrics have a dark streak to them and I suspect this will turn some off but they are missing out.

5 comments about It Still Moves.

1. Ya know this somehow reminds me of the Screaming Trees when they were coming up. A little Red House painters/Sun Kil-Moon as well. The album is low-fi, perhaps partially reminding me of early Screaming Trees studio efforts.



2. Indie-darlings My Morning Jacket get a call to the majors and...well, does anyone really love this record? I suspect that affection for earlier work influenced the mostly good regard and praise heaped upon It Still Moves. In fact, the problem is ironic considering the title: it hardly moves at all. Most songs stretch five minutes and more, but feel nearly twice as long as that. And at seventy minutes of music, that is one long slog.
   
   The reverberating echo effect is alternately mesmerizing and annoying; the tracklist full of decent but rarely exceptional songs. The highlights include the pretty "Golden," the strong opener, "Mahgeeta" (and one of the few songs that feels longer than it is, but in a good way), and the bluesy "Run Thru." Having not listened to the band's earlier music, I don't know if this is just another case of an indie losing authority on a major label, but they straightened out their problems with the flawed but often stellar follow-up effort, Z. I suppose the fan-base was strong enough to make this record seem better than it actually is.
   
   Best cuts: "Golden," "Mahgeeta," "Run Thru," "Easy Morning Rebel," "Masterplan," "Dancefloors," "One in the Same"



3. I really wanted this cd because I love the song "Golden," and I thought at the rest of the album must be at least passable. So it was surprising to hear how bad the rest of the songs are, mostly due to the gimmicky "echo chamber" sound to all of them. "Golden" is so different from the rest that it seems like it was done by another band altogether. A big disappointment! Sorry, but that's my opinion. . .



4. this is a rock and roll album that is a classic. i really can't say much more. the disc plays long, over 70 minutes. i love every song, and i play this cd very often, almost once a day...still.
   
   this is a must have, and a no-brainer!!



5. reverb drenched guitar, a big sound worthy of neil young's crazy horse band, i can't get enough of these guys. if you haven't heard them, you need to. as fast as you can. a rock band with melodies and riffs and a haunting sound, this is a great album.

5 comments about Amen Corner.

1. This is a wonderful recording. There's less glitz and more craft on the familiar Railroad Earth styles, with a beautiful layering of instruments, like multi-layered fabric across Todd Sheaffer's simple-yet-elegant lyrics. And there are some brash new sounds added to ever widening definition of the Railroad Earth "sound". The themes that run through Amen Corner are love (of course), birth and hope/fears for the future (The future becomes very much in your forethought for new parents!).
   
   There are many changes of pace both in musical styles, and a diversity of moods on this CD. After starting with a folksy Been Down This Road, an almost hip-hoppy Hard Livin' comes crashin' in with it's multiple sax chorus, and electric guitar added to the normal RRE complement. As the album continues to zig and zag through different styles, I find that the remarkable thing is that the quality remains equally high from cut to cut. It might leave one with the feeling that there is no "star" cut. In truth, they are ALL shining stars that will grow inside you and pop into your mind at almost any given time.
   
   This CD harkens me back to GD's American Beauty in its' consistency from piece to piece. And like American Beauty, decades down the road you will be listening to and enjoying Amen Corner on some marvelous, unimagined new playback device. Through those decades, you (and your children) will still be able to relate to the musical messages that this band left for us here in 2008.



2. Railroad Earth goes down smoothly. They wrap their words and instrumentation around every inch of my soul and squeeze it until it tingles all over. This album, aside from being long waited, has become a favorite of mine. I was hesitant, at first, to buy Amen Corner. The reason behind this was that it is a studio recorded CD....and no offense to studio works, but a lot of the time(largely a band with the live rep that RRE has)studio CD's are not up to the standards fans hold them to. This is not the case for Railroad Earth's Amen Corner. Every single song could be played on repeat for eons to come, and I wouldn't complain. Knockout album. Buy it and you WILL be calling me in the morning!



3. there's nothing like seeing a live RRE show. the vibes just pour out of everyone. these guys make me dance holes through my shoes! I dig the new album....I love the lyrics as usual but....it's feels like they didnt "let it all go". It definantly doesnt sound like a real show cause its not! Just like the Dead...i'm not gonna pull out a studio album and jam it...at least not very often...it just doesnt sound anywhere near as good as a live show. U guys can feel me on that. Keep up the good work though, you're my favorite band out there right now! KEEP IT COMIN!
   
   the Gothic show last yr was nothing short of a miracle! thanks for rockin ROTHbury, see you at YARMONY GRASS!!!!!!



4. Another great album from these guys, showing off their songwriting ability and instrumental skills. This IS a studio album, so there is less down and dirty picking than live shows, and it is a bit of a creative departure from Elko. Go in without any preconceptions however, and let this album grow on you a bit...you will not be dissapointed!



5. Railroad Earth's most recent release (June 10), Amen Corner, was recorded in a 300-year-old farmhouse in the boonies of New Jersey (yes, they have farms in New Jersey), and is possibly their best effort yet beginning to end.
   
   Amen Corner is one of those albums that takes a while to percolate. On first listen, nothing really stood out from the rest other than the fast-paced "Crossing the Gap," which not only is solid musically, but the lyrics hit home as well (a song about coming home from a long journey and looking across the Gap to Jersey). But after a few listens, I grew to love this album and haven't taken it out of rotation for several reasons.
   
   First, it seems (to me at least) that this album is more mandolin-driven, which is a huge positive. Mandolin player John Skehan has always been very talented, but his picking shines through in this album more so than any previous album (to me, previous albums were more fiddle-driven). I love me some fiddle, and RRE's Tim Carbone is one of the best, but it's good to break it up once in a while. Skehan especially shines on the sole instrumental track on Amen Corner: "Lonecroft Ramble."
   
   Second, lead vocalist Todd Sheaffer's songwriting is as good as ever. He's a master at crafting catchy, upbeat songs, and his opening lyrics on the album's first track "Been Down This Road" set the welcoming tone for the rest of the album: "Come around Amen Corner and there she's standing in the door/Staring in the eyes of my poor soul." "Right in Tune," Little Bit O' Me,"and "Lovin' You" are also standouts lyrically.
   
   Third, Railroad Earth seems to incorporate much of their older roots on more traditional bluegrass anthems "Waggin' the Dog," "Bringin' My Baby Back Home," and "Crossing the Gap" (I just noticed that four of the songs include words with a dropped "g"). But RRE also experiments with new avenues, including the double saxophone on "Hard Livin.'" "The Forecast" has potential to be an epic live song, with mellow harmonies yet a driving rhythm that lends itself to a marathon jam.
   
   Finally, the musical similarities between Sheaffer and the late Jerry Garcia are much more pronounced on this album, especially on two of the last three tracks: "All Alone" and "You Never Know." On "All Alone" Sheaffer's ethereal voice hearkens back to some of Garcia's slower ballads, and even the guitar effects are eerily similar to those on the Grateful Dead's Terrapin Station album. I don't see this as a bad thing, but it definitely begs the comparison.
   
   This album isn't flawless, however, with some of the weak spots being the repetitive nature of "Bringin' My Baby Back Home" and "Waggin' the Dog." Also, while the album as a whole is quite solid (perhaps more so than any of their previous albums), there is no standout "goosebumps" song like on previous albums (i.e. crowd favourite "Long Way to Go").
   
   I'm thoroughly enjoying Amen Corner so far, and am looking forward to seeing Railroad Earth live again in the future. They've shown that they have grown and matured musically, and this album is one of their best yet, and arguably one of the year's best album releases to date. I recommend it for seasoned bluegrass fans as well as music fans unfamiliar with the genre. It's a widely accessible album while still being complex and beautiful.

5 comments about Your Man.

1. Anyone who enjoyed Conway Twitty will love Josh Turner. His songs are outstanding and seem like he's singing about your life. His voice is so sexy, I just love it.



2. But, it's not like I love every song on this cd. It's not bad, but not my favorite. A couple of really good songs, and a few I skip over.



3. My experence was perfect, My CD came in two days with standard shipping. I am very happy



4. I bought this for my dad for Christmas. The first package I received was the CDs I ordered and the package was damaged. I called Amazon and they sent me to replacements right away. My dad loves these CDs.



5. This is not a "amazing" album by any stretch. It is a good album, but I didn't like every track and there are some I just had to skip.
   
   I really liked the additions of John Anderson for "White Noise" and Ralph Stanley in "Me & God." I thought John Anderson complimented Josh Turner really well for what is a really amusing and catch song.
   
   Track for track, this is better than his prior album Long Black Train.

5 comments about Daydream Nation.

1. A beautiful breed of melody and dissonance. Give it a few listens before casting judgment: their note patterns are anything but traditional, and one must forget the usual Western constructs of music theory before appreciating the brilliance of this album. My favorite tracks are Silver Rocket, The Sprawl, Cross the Breeze, Candle, and Kissability. I am a huge Sonic Youth fan, and this is my favorite. If you're new to SY, a good album to try afterward is Sonic Nurse or Goo. Once you appreciate their sound-- the discordance as well as the beauty-- you can get into their earlier gems such as EVOL or Sister.



2. This is it, as far as I'm concerned; the ultimate justification for the existence of Sonic Youth as a band.
   
   I was mildly precocious as an Irish teenager because I was buying import copies of 'Sister' and 'Confusion Is Sex' when my peers were digging the rad new sounds of U2's 'The Joshua Tree'. I remember going to see REM in Dublin in 1989, when they were just about to become absolutely huge, and the pre-show music was this album, which I already owned. I wore a Sonic Youth t-shirt to that gig. It didn't survive the amount of sweat I generated that night.
   
   Yes, part of me was being a pretentious git. Truth be told, I was at least as baffled by Sonic Youth as I was entranced. I honestly loved songs like 'Making the Nature Scene' and 'Schizophrenia' and 'Pipeline/Kill Time', but then there would be half an album's worth of stuff that I couldn't figure out at all. Then, bless them, they made 'Daydream Nation'.
   
   A few years after this album came out, I would go to parties as an unenthusiastic cub journalist and overhear conversations in which older journalists would have perfectly serious discussions (really!) about how Nirvana's 'Nevermind' was 'the defining album of our generation'. The hell with all that, I thought; I knew that there were two recordings that spoke to and for me as somebody who came of age around the time the Berlin wall came down. One of them was Dinosaur Jr's 'Freak Scene'. The other one was 'Daydream Nation'.
   
   For me, this is like the White Album and Sgt Pepper combined - not so much a rock album as a huge, sprawling environment, a city unto itself, which I can only take in a bit at a time. There's the gorgeous, high-energy nostalgia of 'Teenage Riot'; the mysterious 'Providence'; the scary 'Hey Joni'; the fabulous trash of 'Silver Rocket' and 'Eliminator Jr'; the enigmatic call to arms of 'Cross The Breeze'...I could go on. And on. And on. Most importantly to me, there's Lee Ranaldo's stunning finest four minutes ever, 'Eric's Trip', one of the most dizzying marriages of songwriting craftsmanship, toneless half-singing and guitar mayhem ever recorded.
   
   'Daydream Nation' was so good that it actually killed Sonic Youth for me. I never bought another album by them again until years later, when I got 'Experimental Jet Set' on the strength of its dreamy and menacing non-hit, 'Bull in the Heather'. Hardly the behaviour of a true fan, I admit it.
   
   They finally played Dublin, at midnight in the scuzzy Olympia Theatre, some years ago. I was there. They rocked, but I was in my late twenties by then and I was just boggling at all the teenagers for whom this was clearly one of their bands. I stood there drinking beer out of a plastic cup and marvelling that Ireland had become a place where Sonic Youth might actually play a gig. Too late for me, though.
   
   This is still one of the great American rock albums. It's certainly in my top ten.



3. Sonic Youth-Daydream Nation ****1/2
   
   
   Before my first listen to Daydream Nation was over I was wondering what they hell is going on here? This was somewhere around the song 'Candle' that I began to ask myself that. I was thinking this is one of the most intellegent and revolutionary albums I have ever heard, but I was also thinking this is one of the strangest albums of all time, which I guess is why they call a band like Sonic Youth alternative. You see I always liked Sonic Youth, well most of their songs anyway, but I couldn't totally appreciate them at first, which to some may seem frustraiting knowing a band is great and not being able to understand why, while for me I loved that and found it highly rewarding when I finally did get it.
   
   Songs like that almost hit single, and album opener 'Teen Age Riot' leave no wonder as to what it is that is so amazing about Sonic Youth. This is perhaps the most commercially exceptable song that I have ever heard Sonic Youth record and yet there is still nothing commercially exceptable about it. 'The Sprawl' and 'Kissability' pure Kim Gorden songs done in that almost spoken word form that she would later become known for. 'Erics Trip' might be the best song on the album as it offers everything presented in all the other songs on the album just wrapped into one. 'Total Crash' follows 'Erics Trip' as that hardest rocker on the album full of great sound collages and guitar work from Thursten as well as some of his most impressive lyrics. 'Candle' still to this day blows me away at how amazing it is. A song that must be heard to appreciate. While it is not the best song on the album it may be the most inspired. Closing the album is 'Trilogy' a three part song starting with 'a) The Wonder' is a rocking soud collage of feeling while 'b)Hyperstation' is a socially commited-melow-dramatic cinama of a song with 'c)Eliminator Jr.' as conclusion to an essay recycling everything in the album already into one final closing statement by Kim Gorden.
   
   Every noise, every word, basically everything heard on Daydream Nation is ment to symbolize something in America during the time of this albums release in 1988 when the country was still Reagan Nation. This genius piece of music deserves only the highest of praise. Daydream Nation was the first album to really put Sonic Youth on the map and earn them the massive cult following that they now have. Worth every bit of hype it ever was given.



4. The original grunge album, only even more abrasive and cathartic - "Silver Rocket", for instance, has an instrumental break entirely devoted to feedback, and I don't know what to call those noises on "Eric's Trip", but they sure sound cool. And, of course, it's at least as good as it's made out to be. See, the thing about Sonic Youth is that they're one of those bands you've definitely heard of, but might not know a thing about. Okay, there's a good chance you know "Teenage Riot", a big hit and justly so, making excellent use of a tension-building intro. After the intro it gets even better, launching into a slightly disorienting but very worthwhile rocker. It's as focused and taut as a seven-minute song can get, and that's to its credit, since a couple songs, such as "The Sprawl", which starts as a solid Kim Gordon rant, gallop off into the sunset of feedback and totally lose me. For me, the guitar jamming sounds a lot better on the punkish "'Cross the Breeze", which transitions from a beautiful, VU-influenced introduction into a suspenseful guitar jam into a pump-the-gas rocker, complete with fantastic angry vocals from Gordon. Or "Total Trash", which has one of the catchiest and most distorted riffs I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. Nice bassline, too, if you can pick it out. And guitar buildup. I like guitar buildups. There's also some nice, if slightly bruising, near-pop on "Hey Joni". After that ends, the record's lone low point begins: the sound collage "Providence", a piano part with a bunch of tape loops played over it. Not my idea of a good time. But that's okay, because right after it is another solid rocker with a beautiful introduction and great vocals from Thurston Moore, "Candle". Near the end comes the bizarre but enjoyable "Kissability". After that co9mes the "trilogy". I don't know what to make of "The Wonder", which is packed with grungy, raw distortion. It sure is unique, though. The second part of this little suite is "Hyperstation", which uses feedback in a very creative, ominous way and contains the title phrase, for whatever that's worth. Both suite and album close with a jokey ZZ Top sendup, "Eliminator Jr.", one of the many examples of quirky humor on this disc. This really stands out when compared to the hair-metal and synth-pop that was dominating the charts in the '80s, and it's really held up well. It's not all that listenable, but it's plenty rewarding.



5. I already knew the album, as I had listened it it in the past in MP3 format. This was the ideal moment to purchase a physical copy and as a consequence it was as expected. Great service, though.

5 comments about Oh! Gravity..

1. This is Switchfoot's best CD yet! The songs carry you through the CD and are as cleverly written as ever. As well as the normal hits you can hear on the radio, there are other gems hidden in the album that are good from the first time to the fiftieth time as you keep hearing new musical ingenuity and discovering new tricks in the lyrics.



2. I'm surprised that The Beautiful Letdown has a higher rating; Oh! Gravity is a LOT better. Theres a lot more energy put into the songs in this album. In fact, there was two songs total that i disliked. seriously, it rocks! I listen to it every day. its so good, i borrowed it from the library and then baught it here. i really reccomend it. their best yet!



3. Switchfoot is definately my favorite band. And this cd has not dissappointed. Though, The Beautiful Letdown will always be my favorite of their cds. If I had to pick a favorite song on the track, it would be "Let Your Love Be Strong." It's a song about the worls and how people need to stand up for themselves and not be taken down by the world's dirty hands.
   
   "Oh! Gravity," the title is track is one of my favorites too. It's just such a fun tune. It's really on their true rock and roll side. Once you've seen Switchfoot in concert, though you realize that a simple cd could never suffice. They're an amazing band with an amazing lead singer and an amazing gift for writing songs.
   
   Another of my favorites on the cd is "Yesterday." This song's about someone dying and people close to them trying to cope and move on. It says "I woke from a dream last night. I dreamt that you were by my side. Reminding me I still had life in me.
   
   If you love Switchfoot, don't forget to check out lead singer Jon Foreman's solo projects Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. They're amazing as well!



4. I love Switchfoot, but like so many bands that start out with that amazing innocence and fresh approach that sounds amazing and smacks us with enlightening lyrics, they seem to have compromised in this album. As one reviewer said, he didn't even know they were a Christian band. I have to say I probably wouldn't know either from this album. The music is great, but what message is this getting out? Even the video, while fun, really is pointless, not even a glimpse of the hope we have in God's love.
   
   While I don't believe every song of a Christian band has to have a blatant message, I do expect that on every album there will be at least one song stating what the band stands for. I'm sad because they used to have such a great message "Christ is the answer". Now they seem to have lost it.



5. Honestly, Oh! Gravity is probably my least favorite track on the record and discouraged me from checking the CD out when it was first released. However, after checking out the band in concert I wanted to get this CD. The first few times I listened to the CD, I passed over the opening track (Oh! Gravity). But I was instantly connected to the rest of the album. "Awakening" is my favorite track on the record... with "Let You Love Be Strong" a very close second.
   
   So if Oh! Gravity turned you off like it did for me, work pass it and you'll find this CD is near perfect. I find the more you listen to it, the more the CD (and it's message) grows on you. Soon.... it's hard to stop playing it.
   
   Another job well done by Switchfoot.

No comments about Korn: Live at Montreux [Blu-ray].