This Giant Pile of CDs...What is it?

In this blog, I'll be talking about my music collection and give some thoughts about each artist in it.

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Barenaked Ladies

“It's been one week since you looked at me Cocked your head to the side and said, ‘I'm angry’“

These guys have done more than just the theme to Big Bang Theory.  Fun stuff.

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Band of Skulls

“ Sour by the minute, but you're sweeter by the hour”

- Band of Skulls, “Sweet Sour”

Another “Band of” band. :)  Some solid guitar rock here.

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Band of Horses

“It's looking like a limb torn off Or altogether just taken apart We're reeling through an endless fall We are the ever-living ghost of what once was” - Band of Horses, No One’s Gonna Love You

Band of Horses are a great band from Seattle with a interesting sound that blends folk with an ethereal quality.  I would recommend them to anyone who likes the new wave of roots / folk rock.

I have three of their albums, all of which are solid.

Everything All the Time (2006), Cease to Begin (2007), and Infinite Arms (2010).

interestingly, this band has a song that irritates the hell out of me.  Is there a Ghost?  The instrumentation is very nice, but the lyrics just make me want to punch a whole in a wall.  So, why is that?  First off, the lyrics (which consist of one line) are simply repeated over and over and over and over.  It just grates me.  The rest of the album is great.

So, here are the clips:

A live set.

No One’s Gonna Love You

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The Band

“We carried you in our arms on Independence Day And now you'd throw us all aside and put us all away” - The Band, Tears of Rage

The Band were a Canadian “roots rock” group from the 1960s.  They were hired by Bob Dylan for a time and collaborated with him on two albums. They also have their own well-respected discography.  They’re all skilled musicians and write songs with a lot of feeling.  I highly recommend them.

I own one album of theirs, their most well-known, Music from Big Pink (1968).  It’s an enjoyable listen with no weak points on it.  They put on a great live show in their day.  No fancy effects and whatnot, they just showed up and played.

Here’s a few clips.

Live in Pittsburgh (my hometown) from 1970, audio only:

Live at Woodstock (mostly audio only):

Live again form Asbury Park, 1976 (video this time):

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Bad Religion

“yeah, tell me, can you imagine, for a second, doing anything just 'cuz you want to? well, that's just what I do so hooray for me AND FUCK YOU!” - Bad Religion, Hooray for Me...

Bad Religion, the intellectuals from the punk world.  Thoughtful lyrics and themes about the state of the world, as well as more personal topics.  Plus, most importantly, they fucking rock.  Even if they look like old men at this point.  :)

I first gave them a serious listen when I heard them on Pandora.  I thought, “I’ve heard of them, but never really listened to them.  That was a mistake.”  Later, I found a couple CDs at a Waldenbooks that was going out of business.

Stranger than Fiction (1994)

This is an excellent album, representing a move by the band to a more pop-like sound.  But it still has a ton of edge to it.  It’s a must listen for any punk fans.

The Grey Race (1996)

This is a similar album to Stranger than Fiction, but not quite as good.  It’s a good one though.

True North (2013)

This is another solid entry, less essential than Stranger than Fiction, but still solid.

Let’s get to the clips.

Live at the Palladium in New York.

And here they are at Roskilde.

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Bad Company

“Bad company... till the day I die”

First off, this is post 59, and I’m only now getting to B.  :)

Well, here’s something that I didn’t know.  Bad Company are a “supergroup”.  Two guys from Free (Paul Rodgers, the only one I knew, and Simon Kirke), one guy from King Crimson (Boz Burrell), and one guy from Mott the Hoople (Mick Ralphs).  They had several hits in the 70s like “Bad Company”, “Can’t Get Enough”, and “Feel Like Makin’ Love” that are still played on classic rock radio today.

The sound is basic 70s rock, nothing fancy, despite the instrumental prowess in the group.  But the music is fun enough.  I really wouldn’t say that anyone should go out of their way for a Bad Company album.

I only have a hits compilation, 10 from 6, which includes all the hits above plus everything you’d hear on the radio.  I really haven’t gone for any deep cuts, but I’d imagine that they’re all very similar to the songs on this compilation.

Here’s a few clips.

Live from 1974, Can’t Get Enough

Also from 1974, Ready for Love

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AWOLNATION

“This is how an angel dies I blame it on my own supply Blame it on my A.D.D. baby“ - AWOLNATION, Sail

AWOLNATION is an electronic rock band from Los Angeles.  It’s fun basic electronic music with electric guitar, nothing fancy, it’s just basic party music.  It’s definitely nothing to get too excited over, but it is enjoyable.

I have one album by the group, Megalithic Symphany (2011).  It’s straightforward music that would fun at a party or when working out.  But, if you sit down and listen carefully, it’s not all that interesting.  Very simplistic beats and lyrics that are sometimes nonsensical or outright stupid.  It’s better than a lot of party style music, though.

Here’s a couple clips.

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Avenged Sevenfold

“I bleed in pain. / Testing what I know. / Lips soaked in deceit.” - Avenged Sevenfold, Lips of Deceit

So, yeah.  That’s those lyrics.  And they’re almost all like that.  Very teen angsty.  Why on Earth I have, one, two, three, four... ugh, six albums from this band is beyond me.  Bargain hunting gone awry, I guess.

That being said, they aren’t 100% horrible.  There’s some interesting instrumental parts and it isn’t bad music to work out with.  Anything heavy gets my blood pumping a little faster. though.

Let’s list them out, these albums of theirs that grace my collection.

Sounding the Seventh Trumpet (2001)

Waking the Fallen (2003)

City of Evil (2005)

S/T (2007)

Nightmare (2010)

Hail to the King (2013)

I started listening shortly after I made my Austra post, which was quite a while ago.  And not to long after, I said to myself, “Ugh, I actually bought how much of this?”  One, maybe two discs I could understand.  But six?  Oh musicaldunk, what was going on in your head?  If it makes you feel any better, they were all bargain purchases.  Likely $5 or less on Amazon.

I would suggest that this band be skipped by most people.  Apologies to any fans that may read this, but I’m not into A7X anymore.  I’m not even sure I really was.  Just a series of strange purchases for me.

Here’s some examples.  The live shows look like the are lively, so I’ll give them that.

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Austra

“Hundred angles lost Fleeing from the beat and the pulse Laughing like a fool Playing for the heart and the soul And the soul” - Austra - Beat And The Pulse

Austra is a Canadian electronica outfit from Toronto.  Their music is standard electronica for the most part.  I have mixed feelings about electronica.  Some of it I find gorgeous (See my Air post) and some I find tedious and less than interesting.  This band falls in between.  Some of the songs are interesting, but I found myself getting bored by the end of the album.

I have one album, Feel it Break (2011).  It’s well made, but hit or miss for me.  Good tracks include Lose It and Beat and Pulse.  And the rest just really didn’t do too much for me.

Here are a couple clips (beware!  the second clip has blurred out boobies!):

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Austerity Program

“They’ll be coming around always checking in just waiting for their virus to start feeding again” - Austerity Program, Song 8

The Austerity Program are a metal / post-hardcore band from New York.  Their sound is unique, at least to my ears.  Full of staccato guitars and shouted vocals, which in and of itself, isn’t unique, but it’s definitely interesting and keeps me coming back to it.  The drumming is prominent, but it’s not done by a live player, it’s a drum machine.  This definitely falls under my definition of interesting music, in the best possible way.

I ended up getting an EP by the band in my variety box of Hydra Head Records discs.  I mentioned it before in my Agoraphobic Nosebleed entry.  I can’t say enough about how much I liked that purchase.  So many cool discs that come from bands I never even heard of before.  This is one.

The EP I got is called Terra Nova.  It’s four songs that are just numbered, and not even sequentially.  The sound is heavy, the lyrics are clever, and it’s just interesting to listen to.  It definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you like to be intrigued by music, check these guys out.

Here’s some clips.  They have a sense of humor.  :)

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Audioslave

“I am not your rolling wheels, I am the highway” - Audioslave, I Am the Highway

Audioslave is the collaboration project between Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk, all of Rage Against the Machine.  So, it’s Rage Against the Machine with Chris Cornell in place of Zach de la Rocha.  Their sound is a nice mix of the two constituent bands and the songs are lyrically like Soundgarden songs with that stomping funky guitar of a Rage Against the Machine song.

I have one album of theirs, S/T (2002).  There’s several good songs and not one clunker.  Like a Stone and I Am the Highway are highlights.  The album artwork features photography from Strom Thorgerson, famous for working on the artwork for several Pink Floyd albums.  The album certainly isn’t a necessity, but it would be a welcome addition to any fan of Soundgarden or Rage Against the Machine.

Here are some clips:

In Cuba... the first American band to perform there:

Live 8:

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As I Lay Dying

“Each little piece begins to stack up Now suffering under the weight of my choices And I hardly recognise myself Somewhere along the line There stopped being lines at all (whispering silence)“ - As I Lay Dying, Whispering Silence

As I Lay Dying are a metalcore band from San Diego, CA.  Their music is typical metalcore, with growled / shrieked vocals with interspersed clean ones.  There’s nothing fancy, it’s straightforward metalcore.  It’s also nothing too spectacular, and also nothing necessarily bad.  Tim Lambesis, the singer, on the other hand... well.  He was arrested and pleaded guilty to plotting to have his wife murdered.  So there’s that.  The guy belongs in prison, nothing more to say about that.

If you’re curious, here are some clips.

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Art Blakely and the Jazz Messengers

“Music washes away the dust of every day life.” - Art Blakely

Art Blakely was a jazz drummer born in 1919 in my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.  He played music from an early age, some reports say as early as 7th grade.  He had a tremendous amount of skill and was very well respected.

I have a collection of his music recorded by Rudy van Gelder, a huge music recording engineer in the era.  The sound is wonderful and the musicianship on display is spectacular.  The collection is titled, Moanin’ (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition).  I recommend it for anyone interested in jazz.

Here are some clips:

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Arrested Development

Arrested Development is a hip hop group from Atlanta, GA.  They were extremely popular in the early-mid 90s with their 1993 debut album, 3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life of....  It’s a good album with lots of positive vibe.  Several radio hits were present on this album, such as Mr. Wendal, Tennessee, and People Everyday.  The sound is a mixture of hip hop with more traditional African sounds, which is very appealing.

Here are a few clips:

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Army of the Universe

Army of the Universe are an industrial band from Italy.  Their sound is a decent blend of heavy metal-ish riffs and the creative electronica / improvised sounds that make up industrial music.  They’re fairly good, nothing terrific, but a good live show, which is how I encountered them first.

A couple years ago, I went to a KMFDM show with a friend and this was one of the opening acts.  They put on a really good show.  My friend was over the moon happy about it.  We went out into the lobby to pick up CDs and the band was there, giving autographs.  My friend, who was a huge industrial music fan, gushed severely.  It was humorous to watch.  It was like a twelve year old girl meeting Justin Bieber.  And this guy was in his 40s.  That was fun.

I have one album by them, picked up at the show, natch.

Mother Ignorance (2011)

This is a decent album, with a few good songs, and a few clunkers.  It’s decent industrial music with a metal flair.  The songs are mostly heavy, but I could see them in a techno club or something similar.  The strong points include: the title track, Cold in Heaven, and Broken Porcelin, which have a lot of interesting sounds going on them.  There’s some clunkers like 8 Flowers and Retarded.  Otherwise, it’s a solid album.

Here they are:

Lovedead

Goodnite:

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Arlo Guthrie

“You can get anything that you want at Alice’s Restaurant” - Arlo Guthrie, Alice’s Restaurant

Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie.  If you don’t know who Woody Guthrie is, then you need to do some reading.  He was one of the best and most influential folk musicians in the US.  His son, Arlo, is pretty well known and respected as well.

His songs are frequently political, skewering wealthy leaders and how they often leave normal people behind.  And then a lot of his songs are silly.  His shows often include humorous stories and are a nice relaxing time.  His song, Alice’s Restaurant, is about a group of friends and their misadventures seeking a Thanksgiving meal.  So, it’s very commonly played on Thanksgiving Day, at noon, on radio stations across the US.

OK.  Now, here is where I rant.  I saw Mr. Guthrie several years ago in Philadelphia, in November mind you.  And did he play Alice’s Restaurant?  No.  He did not.  Instead, he played this stupid song about riding a motorcycle and not wanting a pickle.  I despise this pickle song.  Despise it.  At the end of the show, I suggested to my girlfriend that we behave like Philadelphians and boo him.  Oh, that was such a disappointment.

OK, rant over.  I still like Mr. Guthrie, but I have a sour taste from that show.

Here he is performing in Philadelphia:

And again performing his stupidest song, which he played for me instead of Alice’s Restaurant.

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Aretha Franklin

“Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It's transporting, for sure. It can take you right back, years back, to the very moment certain things happened in your life. It's uplifting, it's encouraging, it's strengthening.“ - Aretha Franklin

The queen of soul.  Aretha Franklin is a huge figure in American soul music, and for good reason.  Her music is very uplifting and jut damn fun to listen to.  It makes this awkward white boy want to dance.  She is the daughter of a Baptist preacher known for his emotionally charged sermons.  She started singing in the church and moved on to tour with her father’s “gospel caravan” at age 14.  When she turned 18, she told her father that she wanted to sing pop songs like Sam Cooke.  Her father was supportive and continued to manage her career.  She went on to a great career, making many hit songs and winning the hearts of millions of fans.

I have a single collection of “greatest hits” from her and it’s a great listen.  Songs like Respect and Chain of Fools remain favorites to this day.  In case you didn’t know, Respect is actually a cover of an Otis Redding song.  Ms. Franklin’s voice is wonderful and she sings with such feeling that it’s hard not to get swept up in it.  I recommend adding her music to your collection post haste.

Here are some clips:

In Amsterdam 1968:

Chain of Fools (1968)

With Stevie Wonder: