"Burn Burn" Burning Up The Car Stereo

It's good to hear Raine's voice again in great new tunage. Burn Burn, Our Lady Peace's new album isn't really what I expected, but expectations tend to ruin perfectly good albums, so I didn't let them. Burn Burn is a great extension of OLP's repertoire with a great songwriting and performance. No matter what I thought the music would sound like, I expected no less from my favorite band.

Last Tuesday (July 21st), I couldn't wait to run out and pick up the new record. Though it's a good way to start spending way too much money, it's nice having Tuesday's off considering Tuesday is the most common CD and DVD release day.

After sleeping in a little too late (I tend to do that on my day off, but hey, that's what it's for) I decided to hit up Best Buy. Their new albums are usually $9.99, which is hard to beat anywhere else around here. I was actually looking to find the deluxe edition which contained a handful of bonus tracks but not only did they not have that, they didn't even have a copy of the regular album on the shelve. I said, "Screw it," probably out loud too, under my breath of course, and left for Target.

You're probably thinking, why didn't you just ask them for a copy? Well, I was in a bit of a vindictive mood that morning and I wanted them to miss out on a sale for not having something on the shelf that just came out and should be on the shelf. Pretty simple. I hate it when I get in moods like that but it felt kinda nice heading over to Target, which is right across the street, and picking up a copy.

After handing over an hour's worth of pay to the cashier at Target, I headed straight to my car and carried out my patented roll-down-the-window-and-rock-the-new-disc ritual that I've talked about before. (This is back in April when I snagged the new Hinder album.) As I left the parking lot and dialed up the volume to fight against the wind blasting me in the face, Raine's voice was nothing short of angelic to my OLP-new-tunage deprived ears. (It's been 4 years since we had a new OLP album.)

I drove around for quite a while, but in the concern for my emptying gas tank I decided to park and continue to listen. I was immediately hooked to the songs "Dreamland" and "Never Get Over You". So I played 2, then 7, then 2, then 7, quite a few times before finally listening to the album at least 7 or 8 times over the following few days.

Though the album wasn't the rock that I was looking for from their first album Naveed, the songs carry that chill yet catchy and soothing OLP sound that I've always loved. We even get to hear a bit of Raine's trademark falsetto that's been set aside for the past couple albums in the final tune "Paper Moon".

So that's enough of turning a simple album buying story into a novel. I need to get back to packing, we're moving out of our apartment tomorrow and there is plenty of packing to do. One thing is for sure, Burn Burn will be playing in the background as I pack everything away for another exciting yet frustrating move.

Check out Burn Burn or just Our Lady Peace in general, you won't be disappointed. Rock on!

Those Are Some Sick "Sick Puppies"

New music! I love new music! We're less than a week from the release of the new Our Lady Peace album but to pass the time I'm getting smacked in the face by the new album from Australian hard rockers Sick Puppies called "Tri-Polar".

In my opinion, the album is sick, and of course I mean sick in the most affectionate uses of the word. It's one of the albums that I just bought, knowing it was going to be good and it's always a great feeling when the feeling is justified. I thoroughly enjoyed their first album, "Dressed Up As Life" and had the confidence that this one would be even better.

The first single,You're Going Down, is most definitely a heavier first impression than their first hit All The Same. The rest of the album doesn't fizzle out either. With songs like War, So What I Lied, and my current fave, I Hate You, you get a swift kick in the gut both lyrically and musically. You get that great combo of crunching guitar, gritty vocals and that signature bass twang that is made just that much better knowing a hot rocker chick is slamming it out.

With a couple of chiller songs to give you the roller coaster that a good album will undoubtedly put you on, "Tri-Polar" is going to be in my cd player for quite a while, right behind OLP's "Burn Burn" which comes out in 3 days.

Everyone else is coming out with killer music that's getting me all excited, where's mine? Good question. In the meantime, if you're looking for some good rock, check out the new Sick Puppies disc, "Tri-Polar". Rock on!

New OLP Single "All You Did Was Save My Life"

My blog has been all about sharing lately, more specifically new music and videos. I'll continue the trend today. I've been anxious for the new OLP album to hit the shelves and I've been listening to the new single like it's my job. Check out the new single, "All You Did Was Save My Life," below along with clips from all the other tunes on their soon to be released album Burn Burn.




Our Lady Peace has been such a huge influence in my songwriting and in my love for music for so long, it's hard not to get excited about new stuff.

3 or 4 years ago, on a live t.v./radio performance my old band Now Transmission did for a college station in Maine, someone compared my voice to Raine's (the lead singer of OLP) without even knowing my obsession with their music and I almost melted right there in front of the camera. It's not every day you get compared to your idol...that was a good day.

What that little story has to do with anything, I don't know, it's just good to remember.

Rock on!

Will Our Lady Peace's New Disc Drop Already!?

As you can tell from my listening habits, OLP is undoubtedly my favorite band and I'm about ready for their new album Burn Burn. (A lot of those plays have been OLP recently, including right now!) I don't want my month of July to fly by but it's about time for the 21st to come.

Down In The Drop D Dumps

As a guitar player, it's always been fun to discover different tunings. Of course, you always start with the standard EADGBE, from top string to bottom. But from there, there is an endless array of possibilities as long as you're willing to experiment.

There's the Admiral (CGDCBC), Drop A (AEADGC), Double Drop D (DADGBD), Fourths (EADGCF), and so on. (Thanks to How To Tune A Guitar.net)

Each tuning gives your guitar a different sound and a different feel. I can't say I've really tried too many but the standard tuning has never really been my thing. I've always looked for something different. (And not too different I suppose, I stick with something that is still pretty common.)

Since I discovered it I've been hooked to Drop D tuning. It's achieved my dropping the low E string down a step to the low D note. (DADGBE) With this tuning it's so easy to play successive power barre chords by barring and strumming the top three strings. It achieves a heavier rock feel which makes little use of the high strings and favors the low end. I've just always loved the way it sounds and how the chords are played.

Within the past couple of years I've been stuck on a tuning with an even darker feel by starting with Drop D and tuning everything down half a step. (Db Ab Db Gb Bb Eb) I just love how the lower notes resonate and how I feel the range fits my vocals. But at the same time, this tuning has gotten me in a slump as far as my guitar playing skills go. I feel that I've been so stuck on these simple barre chords that I haven't been learning as much as I can by discovering what the other strings have to offer to music.

So I am truly down in the drop D dumps. Though I love the sound, I've realized that there is more to playing guitar than just one tuning or one sound. So to standard E I go! Rock on!