The First Listen

So what's with the first listen? You know, the first time you spin a brand new disc (or hit play on the iTunes or however you get your music). It's never what it's cracked up to be...but then, all of a sudden, you realize your stupidity and small-mindedness as the first listen becomes the second and the third.

For me, new music is an occasion. I try not to buy new music too often, the stuff can get expensive, but I have my kicks and it's hard not to indulge. I usually head to a place like Best Buy and immediately rip the case out of it's plastic prison once I get in the car so I can roll down the windows and enjoy a nice, slow ride home to rock some new tunage that I so crave.

But, it never fails. That first listen is never what I expect. Beside the one radio single I might recognize, the rest usually does nothing for me and I'm left wanting something more when the speakers have spit out the last notes.

Then comes the second listen. Whether it's right there in the car the same day, the next day, in my apartment, or in my headphones, something just clicks. The bland, unrecognizable songs morph into something totally different. The hooks pop out at me and the melodies sing their sweet sounds. The new disc becomes a totally new disc. Almost every time.

Maybe it's my expectations. Or maybe that first listen I always just zone out and don't get a hold of the big picture of what the whole album is about. In a way, it's insanely frustrating always having that initial let down. Even new albums from my favorite bands like Our Lady Peace and Three Days Grace do this to me even though I know they never disappoint and keep me listening year after year, album after album. Does this happen to anyone else, or am I just crazy?

Anyway, I think it's about time I just accept the inevitable truth that every cd that I buy is going to suck the first time around, but I should find comfort knowing that the second listen is most likely going to end up blowing my mind.

Thank you to Thousand Foot Krutch and their new album Welcome To The Masquerade for inspiring this post.  I have listened at least 4 times and I definitely enjoy...now.

"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!

Green Day Vid Premiering Tonight on MySpace

Music videos aren't what they used to be. Not that they aren't great quality, creative and worthy of the songs that they portray, it's just that no one seems to care as much about them anymore. Maybe it's just me, I don't know, but there always just seemed to be a buzz around music videos when I was a kid, back when MTV focused on playing videos instead of reality shows that people just can't seem to get enough of. (Shows that I can't stand by the way.)

So it's nice seeing some buzz around a music video again. This time it's focused around Green Day's new single "21 Guns". The track is their second single from their new album 21st Century Breakdown which I wrote about in my earlier post, Celebretory Green Day - New Album, 21st Century Breakdown. As I said before, I think it's a great album and I definitely dig the new single "21 Guns" much more than single number 1, "Know Your Enemy". (That's probably mostly because they play the heck out of it on the radio while I listen at work. I hate it when that happens because it still think it's a good tune, I just don't want to hear it anymore.)

The new video has gotten some significant buzz on the radio as I've been listening at work and also at MySpace.com where the video will be premiered tonight at midnight. (You can check a little clip of behind the scenes footage at Green Day's MySpace page.)

I can't say I'm excited about it or anything, it looks like it's going to be a straight forward video featuring the band and probably some significant imagery, but it would be great to see videos become more important, like they used to be. (Again, that's just from my view point. Maybe they are still big and I'm just leading a sheltered life.)

The whole idea behind music videos has always fascinated me as well, because a handful of the songs I write come to me in images before words and sounds. I always thought it would be great to do the whole deal, writing, performing and creating my own videos. But we'll take it one step at a time, music first.

Don't forget to check out Green Day's new vid on MySpace after midnight tonight. Rock on!

Celebretory Green Day - New Album, 21st Century Breakdown

What a better reason to spend some money than to celebrate getting a job. Makes sense, right? Well, it doesn't really need to make sense, cause I did it anyway. It took some personal convincing as KJ and I wandered through Target for some necessities, but after picking up the new Green Day album, setting it down and walking away, we wandered across the expanse that makes up the checkout lanes of Target and picked it up again. I couldn't help myself.

Not that I had any doubt but Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown is definitely quality tunage. You have your straight forward hits like the first single "Know Your Enemy" and "21 Guns" but you also have surprising rockers like "Restless Heart Syndrome" and standard structure breakers like "Before the Lobotomy". And we can't forget those heart felt piano filled tunes like "Last Night On Earth". There are no doubt some awards in this albums near future.

With 18 tracks split into 3 acts (All full length songs but one mind you. You get your money's worth with this album. We're talking $.55 a song for $9.99 at Target.), the album picks up where American Idiot left off adding even more songwriting maturity, political undertones and catchy, rockin' punk riffs that we've come to love from Billy Joe and the gang.

If you're looking for a complete album that rocks your socks off, lulls you into a musical trance, and suprises you with the sheer songwriting genius, 21st Century Breakdown is a great one to cure your fix.

For a sneak peek check out the video below of track #5, "Before the Lobotomy". I figured if you listen to the radio even semi-consistently you're going to be hearing "Know Your Enemy" quite a bit.

Now is time for me to get away from this computer on my last real day off before I enter the work force. Enjoy your day off for those of you chilling out there today. I suggest picking up 21st Century Breakdown for some musical enlightenment and relaxation on your free day. Just don't try to pick it up at Walmart, they've refused to carry it. In case you haven't heard, here's the article about the ridiculousness.

Rock on!

New Our Lady Peace Album Dropping On July 21st!

I don't know about you but I can't wait until July 21st! By no means do I want to wish my or everyone else's summer away, but I can't help but be pumped for a new record from Our Lady Peace. If you're a regular to ASWS you'll know that OLP is my favorite band, has been since I was 16 years old. (So about 9 years.)

Raine's powerful and distinct vocals, the exceptional songwriting that has always been an inspiration to me as a songwriter, and their overall sound has had me hooked since I heard my first OLP song on the I Know What You Did Last Summer soundtrack. (The song was "Clumsy".)

New music is something I always get excited for and when it's one of my favorite bands I pull out all the stops. There is no exception when it comes OLP's new disc Burn Burn. It's been a long wait between albums, one of the longest we've ever had to wait for a studio album considering their last album Healthy In Paranoid Times came out in 2005.

(This isn't including A Decade, a greatest hits compilation that featured two new and unreleased tracks. If you haven't heard Our Lady Peace I recommend checking out A Decade or my favorite OLP album Clumsy. At the very least check out OLP's Myspace and see what you're missing.)

I've read a lot of good things about this new album. For starters it's produced by lead singer Raine Maida himself. He's said that Burn Burn is a "proper rock album" that harks back to the rawness of their Naveed days, Naveed being their first album. It's also set to contain 10 tracks with the first single being "All You Did Was Save My Life".

To learn more, read this article I found about the release which you can find here.

Come July 21st my album buying tradition will be in full force as we get ready to pack and move (our lease runs out July 31st) and continue to enjoy a beautiful Kansas summer. If the album is as good as it's sounding from the couple of clips I've heard and all the hype, it will be a summer to be remembered. Music does that to me.

And as always with the release of a new album there's always the chance of a live show coming to the area. Now that we're living in the Kansas City area I like my chances. That would definitely make it a great summer.

Keep rockin'!

I Can't Wait!

I'm taking a quick break from the NCAA basketball tourney to share a little excitement with you (They didn't really give me a choice to take a break, the next game isn't until 6:00). It's not very often that I get super excited, but when it comes to new music, I tend to get pumped, especially when my favorite band putting out a new disc.

(Yeah, that photo on the left is signed by Raine Maida and made out to Eric. But unfortunately, not me. I snagged it on eBay.)

The excitement is kicked up a notch because my favorite band, Our Lady Peace, hasn't released a new studio album since they released "Healthy In Paranoid Times" in 2005. That's an especially long time for OLP as they usually come out with a new album every couple of years. Of course, this isn't including Raine's solo album and the greatest hits compilation.

I've talked about the upcoming album, "Burn Burn", in previous posts which only proves where my minds at. We still don't know when it's coming out, only that it's finished and that it will be out sometime early summer. While taking my little break, I also stumbled across the cover art, which you can check out here.

Since I really don't get excited about many things I'm going to try and be patient and not look up those crappy live recordings that are usually all over YouTube when bands come out with new material. I've heard some previews but overall I'd like to keep my ears fresh so when I finally get out to buy it I can stick it in my car cd player, roll down the windows and crank it like new rock should be cranked. It's been my tradition for years now and I look forward to continuing it out here in Kansas as I speed through some corn fields in the hot summer sun. It's going to be great, I can't wait!