If You Blame Canada... "RUSH WILL KICK YOUR ASS!"

So what do you get when you have three close friends, who have been true to themselves, their fans, and "aboout" (a little Canadian humor there) the creative process in their music? The answer to this fun filled equation is the legendary progressive rock group, RUSH!

RUSH has managed to maintain a prolific career that has truly influenced everyone who has taken the time to listen to their iconic music. They are the band that will get you, your dad, and (if you were born sometime in the 1990) possibly you Grandpa slamming your fists in the air with "ROCK AWESOMENESS" because they can. RUSH has managed to maintain a loyalty of their fans for decades and continues to expand their cultic following to younger generations.

Now as I was saying before. RUSH has influence a lot of people. Part of the band's influence can be heard in many of the rock artist that we all love and admire today. RUSH has made a mark in music history no matter what anyone says. The band has successfully completed their "Time Machine Tour", bringing the power and force of classic albums such as "Moving Pictures", and their anthemic musical portrait, "2112". The super-trio continues to "wow" people from start to finish.

This power-trio has aged magnificently towards musical perfection over a thirty year period. It is clear that RUSH has no plans of stopping, and the proof of their continued march towards conquest, is highlighted in the bands performances of two new singles entitled "BU2B" and "Caravan". Despite the dynamic super-trio being in their sixties, they continue to know their audience and understand the constant evolutions of Rock Music. These two tracks are harder and heavy, making RUSH forever relevant in "Rock'n Roll's Pantheon." Due to the band phenomenal success and reviews of their tour, RUSH has put out a live album showcasing new, and classic tracks from their catalog. RUSH will also provide their fans with a front row seat to the "Time Machine Tour" with the release of the show available on Blu-ray and standard DVD. If you are a RUSH fan, or looking for a piece of rocking music history, you need to get this album. Looking forward to what RUSH will serve up next.

Let's Get a Little Country Up In Here!

So Miranda Lambert has a new album and it's a real "YEEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAWWWWWW of a good time y'all!" Okay so let's take a moment and understand a few things shall we?

Now for those of you who have been interested in my little attempt at journalism and music reviewing, as well as, those of you who know me personally; it's a pretty fair bet to say that you would have never thought in your wildest imagination that I would listen to country music, let alone like any of it. I mean, I'm 5'10, 237lbs with a fo-hawk, tatts, and I play drums. You would think that I'm in some kind of emo-indie-rock band, and that all I listen to is punk, metal, and rock music. Well
(I hope you are seated for this part)...
...I like Country Music (along with everything else) and believe it or not...
...I play drums for a lot of things; one of which is a Country band here in South Florida. Now let me just be clear. I don't have a killer belt buckle collection or sport some tight jeans rocking a 10 gallon hat. I'm a t-shirt and jeans kinda guy, but I dig me some Country. Yeah I know that it's been stereotyped, and most people think that every country song has to do with: a broken down truck parked on your front lawn. Your dog yeller running away off and your can't find him, and drinking parties every night...
...Okay well, the last one about drinking tends to be true and a recurring topic withing country songs, but hey it's good music! So back to Miranda's new album "Four The Record".

 
Now when I heard this little diddy, I was surprised at how smooth it felt. This is a great homage to the old bluesy/jazzie style of old country music. The album is gritty and a little dark at times, giving you a real classic, but unique approach to the timeless method of storytelling that Country Music is known for. My favorite track on the album is "Easy Living", which really takes you back to that time when country legends were just making names for themselves. Miranda is a little risky and likes to let you know it. Her honest approach to her writing style melts your heart or kicks you in the teeth at the same time, making her one of Country Musics most powerful storytellers and entertainers. If you want to expand your musical pallet, check out "Four The Record" and get your "twang on". 

"Katy!" I'm "The One That Got Away!"

Okay so I was on Youtube this afternoon and came across Katy Perry's page. After I stopped gauking at her picture...

...Okay, before we go any further, I need to be honest with you and just come out with it...
... I have had a crush on Katy since she hit the air waves. Okay better now.

So now let's get back to the matter at hand. Katy will be debuting her next single's video, "The One That Got Away" on November 11th. Katy's sophomore album, 'Teenage Dream" has been killing the charts for while now. The album has had chart topping singles after single, and this next little number will be sure to continue to propel Katy towards pop legend.

Eisley's number 4

Well, what do you know. There is another band that is comprised of siblings and a cousin that isn't "The Kings of Leon." Are you kidding me?!...

...Well believe it or not there is, and that is exactly what the Tyler, Texas band Eisley is through and through.

Eisley became a reality in 1997. Over the course of the 14 years the band has managed to produce 4 studio albums, bringing their alt-folk-indie sound to the masses. For me, one of the coolest projects that turned me onto this little obscure masterpiece was the bands 2007 CD, LP "Combinations". The minute I got my hands on that album I found myself lost in a really creative world that embodies Celtic vocal howls with some killer guitar riffs and fun drum grooves. For me the best track on "Combinations" is "Invasion". That is the song that sold me on Eisley's unique style, so when I heard that there was a new album that hit this year, I was ready to explode.

"The Valley" is another interesting interpretation of the bands very stylized musical approach. It maintains the very deep and personal lyrics that grab the bands listeners into a place of self identification/expression. The band continues to grow in their creative approach of writing, and intertwines fun grooves with some hard hitting content. Eisley is a great find, and if you haven't heard of them take a minute and enjoy. The band finished their "Valley Scapes Tour" this past September. The more you support, the grater the chance Eisley may pop up in your home town. For more information on this 5 piece ensemble, visist www.eisley.com.  

Metalli-Crap

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS MESS? I mean I can't even hide how terrible Lou Reed and Metallica's album "Lu Lu" is. Picture putting a microphone close to your dog while he is taking a poo, and publishing the audio as the newest and most creative thing. That is what this record is. There is no polite way to say it, but this album suck in every possible way. I mean the vocals are off key. The content is odd, and there is no such thing as THRASH METAL COUNTRY. Look if you had issues with Metallica when "Load" and "Reload" came out, you are about to crap your pants with even greater disappointment when you hear this ghastly alt-universe collaboration. This thing is so bad, there should be a new ranking system that awards negative stars for stuff this awful.  

"Ceremonials" or is it "Lungs 2.0"?

"Lungs" was the "machine" that brought Florence and the Machine to the U.S. in a big way. The album is holding 70 on the Billboard 200 Charts still. Her latest LP, "Ceremonials" has yet to makes any waves within the U.S. Billboard charts in any category. So why is that?

Now before I go any further let me just say that I really like the artistic Celtic/Enya influenced sound of Florence, however, "Ceremonials" is a bit lacking in creativity. I was a bit let down when I put the album in car CD player. "Yes I am that guy that still hunts down CD, because I think it's cool so don't judge me."...
...Okay back to the issue at hand. The first track of the album had me intrigued, and I was digging it in a big way, but by the time I found myself on track 8, I was board out of my mind. It was as if every song was just another reinterpretation of the last one. Same grooves. Same vocal and lyrical progressions, Same everything. And then it hit me in a big way...
..."THIS IS "LUNGS" 2.0!" I mean come on man, give me something a little different. Now again I'm not hear hating on Florence and the Machine at all. In fact I really like her style a lot. What I'm trying to say, is that this album could have been something that was even better than the first one. Instead it's musical constipation, in which the creative juices appeared to be cramped in a stalemate position leaning towards a conservative and predictable style that may haunt or even halt the momentum of the "Machine." I would give this album a 3 out of 5 stars. Sorry Florence, I wasn't wowed...

Mylo Xyloto

Coldplay is back with their with their 5th studio album "Mylo Xyloto". Chris Martin and the gang continue to evolve and stretch the boundaries of their musical canvas.

This album is a little heavier, and offers a real balance of synth pads along the way that catapults the album towards the future. One of the more interesting observations of this album is the strong acoustic guitar parts that serve as the melodic foundation for the bands newest project in just about every song. From the fun and moving lyrics of "Charlie Brown" to the pounding anthemic groove of "Don't Let it Break Your Heart", Mylo Xyloto is worth the investment for the most hardcore Coldplay fan to the novice music lover that has never heard of the UK super-group.