Fall Out Boy might be suburban punks, but Green Day rules the neighborhood. In 1987 (whoa!), the punk rock band was started by Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt, 15 years old at the time. The band was originally called Sweet Children, but later on they changed it to Green Day, referencing their fondness of marijuana. They went through several drummers before settling on their now permanent drummer Tre Cool. Their debut album, 39/Smooth, was released in 1990 (yea!). They were well known underground, but Dookie (1994) allowed them to break out to the rest of the world. They found immense success, and their next two albums, Insomniac and Nimrod, were received with largely positive comments. Their popularity began to decrease in the late 90s and early 2000s, but they bounced back with American Idiot in 2004. Their most recent album, 21st Century Breakdown, released in 2009, ended their longest break between album, and you can expect a new album in the near future. Green Day is well known for songs like, ‘Basket Case’, ‘Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)’ and ‘21 Guns’. But, more than anything, Green Day gives millions of teenagers the chance to sing/shout the feelings they can’t put into words, suburban or otherwise.
In 2000, shortly before the release of their album All That You Can't Leave Behind, Bono proudly declared that, " [We're] reapplying for the job. What job? The best band in the world job." Bono and his boys held the top spot for most of the eighties and nineties, striving to get their name and message out there, and it worked. Start talking to any one (literally, anyone) about U2, and they'll know exactly who you're talking about. More than likely, they'll probably start singing one of U2's multiple hits from the past thirty years, like "Beautiful Day", "Mysterious Ways", or "With Or Without You."
In 2009, U2 released their twelfth studio album, No Line On The Horizon, the album I am reviewing here.It was their first studio album in five years and the longest gap between any two albums.
The band began working with producer Rick Rubin in 2006, trying to get work started on a follow-up to their 2004 album, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. Rubin wanted them to go for a 'back-to-the-basics' feel, but the band wanted to continue onward with their experimental, free form style. The band and Rubin went their separate ways and U2 teamed up with Daniel Lanois (who produced albums like Oh Mercy by Bob Dylan and So by Peter Gabriel) and Brian Eno (who produced albums like Laid by James and Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends by Coldplay).
^ U2 in the 1980, when they were just beginning. They are, from the left, Larry Mullen, Jr, Bono (real name- Paul Hewson), The Edge (real name- David Evans), and Adam Clayton.
For U2, this album is a game-changer. Listening to it, I can hear a mix of generations in every song. The first song, "No Line On The Horizon", didn't really match up well with me. I thought it was a bad choice for a starting song and that it was a little flat. But the follow-up, song number two- "Magnificent", was picture perfect. U2 is the type of band that pulls on your heart strings and Bono's voice can take you from wherever you are and put you right where he wants you to be.
Bono, who writes many of the songs, decided that for this album, he would write from different perspectives. He was tired of songwriting first person, and leapt out of his comfort zone and into the minds of a traffic cop, a drug addict and a solider serving in Afghanistan. The next two songs, "Moment of Surrender" and "Unknown Caller" both derive from the addicts' perspective.
The next two songs could be called the singles of the album. "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" was created by a collaboration with Will.i.am, a member of the widely popular group, The Black Eyed Peas. The video for the song was U2's first animated video since 1995, and depicted a group of people all trying to make change in their lives, though they are all interconnected.
My favorite song on this album is "Get On Your Boots" (originally named "Sexy Boots"), a fast-paced (at 150 beats per minute, it is one of the fastest songs the band has ever recorded) rocking pop song. Rolling Stone Magazine called it a, "blazing, fuzzed-out rocker", and I have to agree.
Bono later commented on the album, saying it was split into thirds, the first part as, "a whole world unto itself, and you get to a very ecstatic place." The second was described as "a load of singles" and the last third is songs that are, quote, "unusual territory" for the band.
Unusual territory definitely describes most of the second half of the No Line On The Horizon. Every song after six, for me, was just like the last and faded into the background. Maybe I wasn't listening hard enough, maybe it just wasn't all that good.
Either way, U2 has still it! I doubt any other album U2 will record in the future will be as good as their early works, like The Joshua Tree, which is probably they're most acclaimed album. Still, this is a good album. U2 is not afraid to experiment, to try things that may throw their fans off a little and maybe even question their sanity. U2 is the kind of band that stands as a foundation in the music world. If we looked upon music as a table they would be one of many legs (there would be a lot of legs on that table). Yet, at the same time, they are constantly changing and growing themselves, if that makes any sense. Sure, it's not the eighties anymore, but U2 can still bring it.
-Whitni
PS- Bono really knows how to spin his lyrics, and one line that stood out for me is from "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight." The line is- "How can you stand next to the truth and not see it?" Think on that world.
What's up guys, how's the week starting out for you? Good? Bad? In between? Well, I got to thinking- what's a good way to start the week? And, of course, the answer was... new music! So, today, The Summer Music Project starts a new segment called (drumroll please) New Music Mondays! This happily means that every Monday you can log onto this awesome little blog of ours and find a new song to get stuck in your head until next Monday rolls around.
The first song for New Music Mondays happens to be by a seasoned band out with a new album on the 22nd called Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys. It's only appropriate I picked this song, since lately my musical tastes have been focused on punk and hard rock/metal.
This song is "Na Na Na" by My Chemical Romance, a rock band originally from New Jersey. I've heard some of their older stuff (i.e "Welcome To The Black Parade" and "Helena"), so I was happy to see they haven't lost that pzazz. I think you guys will like it. Happy Monday kids!
The cover's a little freaky, no doubt. But the music is solid, the riffs are tight and Caleb Followill's wailing voice hits you hard, like a frying pan to the face.
Everyone, even people who don't really listen to music other than the occasional top forty, knows who the Kings Of Leon (KOL) are. Everyone's heard those famed two songs- "Sex On Fire" and "Use Somebody." In fact, I don't think people have heard many more songs than those two. Both songs are pure KOL style: dirty, corrupt southern rock with a splash of indie.
So when I saw a KOL album in the line-up, my first thoughts were, "Oh, I wonder if those songs are on this album?" Of course they weren't and for good reason. This album didn't need those singles to have the effect it set on me. In fact, if it had those songs on there I doubt it would have become my favorite album so far...
Okay, maybe that's not true. I love "Sex On Fire". It's twisty and screwed in all the right ways and even though it's overplayed, I never get tired of hearing it. In fact, it seems like every time I hear it I notice something new. But anyway, onward!
Aha Shake Heartbreak really is shaky. But, the good kind of shaky, not the shaky kind of shaky. The disc starts out with "Slow Night, So Long", which has a killer bass groove going on by the time lead singer Caleb Followill gets around to spitting out those funky lyrics.
Songs like "Taper Jean Girl", "Four Kicks", "Razz", and "Day Old Blues" really made this album for me. The only song I didn't like on this album was "Milk", a song that lives up to it's name- sorta sweet but plain and creamy, no hint of omph. It wasn't a bad song, it just didn't fit in with the rest of the album.
I'd bet you ten bucks that if any of you listened to this album you could identify my favorite song off of this album in a heartbeat. "The Bucket" was the killer for me. Ever have that tight feeling in your chest and that swirling in your stomach when you come across a truly amazing song? "The Bucket" is fun, grippy and truly just happy music.
I think Raivynn would have liked either "Taper Jean Girl" or "Rememo", but alas she slaves away at college.
KOL is one interesting band. Not only do they have a severe case of genre-idtis but they are feeling some serious fan heat right now. KOL has released four albums and ever since their last one "Only By The Night" things have been, well, a little tense. Some fans are turning on the band, saying they've sold out to make 'arena music' and that what made them the Kings Of Leon is gone.
I can't really put in my two cents on this particular discussion, just because I haven't heard enough KOL music. But I can say that as I listened to "Aha Shake Heartbreak" in my sunny room one afternoon, I felt wrong. It seemed like this was the kind of album I should listen to on my Mississippi porch or in some random guy's garage. This album is grungy southern rock and it makes you feel that in your bones, but there is that hint of indie to keep you from falling off the edge. KOL is a 'surprised you' kind of band who are constantly changing they're sound and mixing things, much like legends like Ray Charles and The Beatles, but that southern sound is always there.
The best thing that came out of this album for me? I can now say I am not a one-hit fan, something I hate to be. Ignore the Parental Advisory, I recommend this album for all.
-Whitni
PS- Oh, and, just so you know, KOL has a new album coming out October 19th called "Come Around Sundown." I checked out the single from that album called "Radioactive" and like it. The video was interesting and I'm not sure how I felt about it, but the song was great. Check it out- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPBbMbKSZrQ&ob=av2e
PPS- Last thing, I promise. The Kings Of Leon are made of brothers and one cousin and the brothers were all homeschooled during their childhood, much like myself. Love it.
Whitni and I (Raivynn) started this blog because first and foremost, we love music. We went into the summer of 2010 longing for a project, found one, and continue to purse it even though summer has ended. Together we are diving into the music world, starting with the top fifty albums of 2000- 2009, as noted by Rolling Stones Magazine. No, they didn't put us up to this, but that makes it even better. You can see what we are listening to in our Pandora boxes, read a couple of reviews, listen to a song, check out The Stack (what CDs we have in rotation), find new music (on New Music Mondays!) search for a specific post, learn all about awkwardness, or see just how far we've come with our little countdown. Who knows, maybe you'll stick around here a little bit longer.
Check out our Tumblr page here. It's all kinds of epic.
This is The Stack- a list of all the CDs patiently waiting for our hungry ears. The album name is listed first, then the artist. These babies are in no particular order. Click on the album for more info. Go on, you know you want to.
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