Album Review Catch-Up, Part 1

05.14.09

There has been so much music coming out over the past few months that I’ve been neglecting a lot of album reviews for the simple fact that I don’t have a whole lot of time. By the time I finally sit down to do an album writeup, there’s 4 or 5 other albums that have my interest. It’s a blessing and a curse to live in this digital age, as we have so much great music right at our fingertips, but not enough time to digest and enjoy it before something new comes along. This especially a problem for someone like me, who loves collecting EVERYTHING. So for the sake of catching up with myself and saving myself time in the future (although a few of these reviews I have half-done already, but am scrapping in favor of this format), here is part one of all of the albums fit for coverage – now in bite size:

New Music: Beastie Boys, Lee Majors Come Again

05.08.09

Song: Lee Majors Come Again
Artist: Beastie Boys
Album: Check Your Head (2009 Re-Issue)
Label: Capital Records
Notes: none
Analysis: ‘Lee Majors Come Again’ is a hidden 7″ disc bonus track for some of those who purchased the re-issue of their classic Check Your Head. It isn’t what you would expect, though.

New Music: Incubus, Black Hearted Inertia

04.28.09

Song: Black Hearted Inertia
Artist: Incubus
Album: Monuments and Melodies
Label: Epic Records
Notes: 1st single from Compilation LP
Analysis: It’s been three years since we’ve heard some new Incubus and that’s too long. Granted, they won’t be releasing any albums of new material any time soon, but for their greatest-hits compilation the band has this new track to satisfy us.

Music Video: Green Day, Know Your Enemy

04.27.09

Song: Know Your Enemy
Artist: Green Day
Album: 21st Century Breakdown
Label: Reprise Records
Notes: 1st single from LP
Analysis: Everything I wrote about the song goes double for the video. Moving on.

New Music: Green Day, Know Your Enemy

04.18.09

Song: Know Your Enemy
Artist: Green Day
Album: 21st Century Breakdown
Label: Reprise Records
Notes: 1st single from LP
Analysis: In the pattern of Green Day’s transition from American Idiot of punk band to arena rock band, ‘Know Your Enemy’ continues right along where the band left off five years ago.

Music Video: …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Isis Unveiled

04.08.09

Song: Isis Unveiled
Artist: …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Album: Century of Self
Label: Justice Records
Notes: 1st single from LP
Analysis: I rarely listen to a lot of the music I listened to in high school, but I’m pretty proud to call Trail of Dead a personal find of mine, one that I discovered on my own without MTV (at the time still playing music) telling me what’s good. And while I never really dug too deep into the band’s catalogue, ‘Another Morning Stoner’ remains one of my favorite songs of the decade. ‘Isis Unveiled’ is a heavier, faster song  filled with some brutal guitars, but the same cosmic atmosphere layered underneath that makes this group special. The imagery in the video filtered over singer Conrad Keely’s face is that of skulls, swords and serpants, which are a natural fit for the heaviness of the song. It’s a headbanger… I know that most of the readers that come to The New Classics don’t show up for songs like these, but hopefully I can change that. Anyone looking to expand their minds & mp3 collections can feel free to call this group their own personal find. That’s what I’m here for.

***BONUS***

Music Video: Mastodon, Divinations

03.07.09

Song: Divinations
Artist: Mastodon
Album: Crack the Skye
Label: Reprise Records
Notes: 1st single from LP
Analysis: There’s only a handful of heavy metal bands out there today that are ever worth praising, but Mastodon is a part of that elite crew. This video consists of, but is not limited to: space travel, a snowstorm quest, drinking from skulls, cavemen, climbing mountains, hot girls tied up and fucking abominable snowmen.

New Music: Lil Wayne, Prom Queen

01.25.09

Song: Prom Queen
Artist: Lil Wayne
Album: Rebirth
Label: Cash Money / Universal Records
Notes: 1st single from Wayne’s first “rock” album
Analysis: From the minute it was announced that Lil Wayne was coming out with a “rock” album, I called bullshit. That guy is so drowned out on codeine everytime he’s on camera that I brushed off that project to the same “yeah right” status as his joint albums (coming soon!) with T-Pain, and Juelz Santana, and re-releasing Carter 3 with all new tracks (which makes absolutely no sense anyway). But now here we are on January 25th, and Wayne’s first single from this so-called rock album has leaked, and the album is given a release date. In determining if this song is any good, I’ve raised a few questions: 1) is Wayne really using live instrumentation?, 2) Can a song really be “rock” while using autotuner? 3) is this really necessary?