Cage The Elephant – "Cage The Elephant" Review

I’ve always heard great things about this band.  It was always a rumor that they put on one of the most energetic live shows imaginable, but I have yet to experience it.  It was actually the first time I heard their music when I saw their video for “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” online about two weeks ago.  I absolutely loved the single.  I then proceeded to buy the album.  What followed was…not nearly as good as the single.

“Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” is by far the best and most memorable track on the album.  None of the songs hit and stay with you like that one.  The only other song that gets remotely close is the opening track, “In One Ear.”  The mixture of their spoken-word-like verses and old-school rock rhythms is blended perfectly with these two.  Other than that, the music is really nothing that you haven’t heard before.  The chorus vocal melodies fit right on top of the guitar riffs in the 70′s rock fashion you’ve head with Jet, Wolfmother, or any other rock band on the scene with long brown hair and tight jeans.  I was really hoping this album would live up to the expectations given out by “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked,” but it sadly comes up short.  Don’t get me wrong, the album isn’t bad.  It just expected a lot more.  I am still interested in seeing them live, because I hear that the album does their shows no justice.  My opinion, download “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” and “In One Ear.”  If you want a preview, check out last week’s post on Songs For Your Weekend, where I list “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” as a must-have.  The album, however, only gets a 3 out of 5.

Return of the 90s: The Top 10 Bands Reuniting From That Decade

Has it really been that long? Is the nostalgia already kicking in to the point where these bands going on tour is considered a “reunion”?  Regardless, here is a Top 10 List of the bands “reuniting” from the 90′s that are touring soon.  This list is determined by my personal taste, so people are bound to disagree.  I have it ranked by my excitement, and by who I’d like to see live the most.  Enjoy:

#10 – Creed

Creed is the band I am least excited to see.  It would make me happy to never hear their music nor see another picture of Scott Stapp ever again.  What a cocky douche-bag this guy was.  His vocals sound like a bad impersonation of Metallica and Pearl Jam while plugging his nose at the same time.  You want to know why these guys were popular? Ask Nickelback.  Nickelback today is what Creed was in the late 90′s: talentless and somehow regarded as musicians.  Given, Creed’s guitar player is lightyears better than Nickelback’s, but you just can’t get worse than Stapp.  He could take any song, sing it, and make it sound like the worst song ever written.  This month they announced to the world that they are not only planning on touring again, but planning on writing new music.  I am hoping the world has learned of its mistake, and will not let this band terrorize our ears once again.

#9 – Sugar Ray

Believe it or not, but this band actually use to play a poor version of funk/metal.  That is, until they had their smash hit “Fly.”  They are one of the biggest examples of a band to “sell-out.”  They had one taste of success with “Fly” and flipped their music faster than you could blink.  They had ridiculous success with “Someday,” “When It’s Over,” and “Every Morning,” forever marking themselves in history as one of the bands you always loved to hate, and were completely embarrassed to enjoy.  Probably the catchiest worst music to come out of the 90′s, and you can expect a new full-length studio album from them in the near future.  I guess they already blew through their paychecks. BOOOOOOO

#8 – Third Eye Blind

Jesus.  Just look at that eyeliner.  These guys were bad.  Not as bad as Creed or Sugar Ray, but pretty damn bad.  The only thing that makes them a step above the two previous acts is that they actually wrote songs outside their hits that could be considered well-written and requiring some type of talent.  Being the soundtrack to countless chick-flicks in the 90′s, they are having their comeback by playing the Bamboozle Festival and putting together a spring tour.

#7 – Blink 182

Personally, I was never a fan.  I found their music to be talentless pop that paved the way for even worse acts like New Found Glory and Good Charlotte.  The only thing that would make me get a ticket for their show is Travis Barker, who is a damn amazing drummer.  This was also a band people loved to hate, but was certainly their guilty pleasure.  Their reunion is one of the biggest hypes going around right now, so expect a tour and another album at some point soon

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#6 – Blur

Yeah, it would be pretty cliche for me say “woo-hoo!” to the news of this reunion.  Other than their hit “Song 2,” they never really made a big impact on the music world.  They had a huge cult following, were much bigger in England, and are could easily live the rest of their lives off publishing royalties.  The reason I have these guys at number 6 is a)I never really listened to them outside of “Song 2″ which kicked major ass,  b)the one song alone is better than anything ever written by some of the bands on this list, and c)their front-man, Damon Albarn went on to front Gorillaz, which I am a huge fan of.  They are reuniting, but more than likely only touring in Europe.

#5 – Jane’s Addiction

This is probably the least surprising reunion on the list, and is also why it’s lower than the bands taking the 1-4 slots.  Jane’s Addiction has been having their on-and-off relationship pretty much their entire existence, so them calling another tour a “reunion” isn’t really factual.  Yeah, I would still love to see them live, especially since their going on tour with Nine Inch Nails (a personal favorite of mine), but it still lacks any nostalgia or surprise.

#4 – Limp Bizkit

Probably the most hated band that ever existed.  People who listened to them in the 90′s are more embarrassed by that than the giant neon goggles they wore with their oversized Jnco Jeans.  If 9/11 or Katrina weren’t enough of a hint, consider this the first sign of the apocalypse. This band ruined so many things in music.  They made Nu-Metal a cliche, they killed the creation of rap-rock which Rage Against The Machine so eloquently perfected,  and they made backward hats and puffy jackets a fashion bomb.  You may be wondering why I put them so high on the list, and the reason is simple.  Why wouldn’t you want to see a sign of the apocalypse? Seeing Fred Durst on stage with his baggy pants and red backwards hat, trying to relive his glory-days as a rapper/rockstar, would be comical at the least.  Besides, as bad as this music is, I’d much rather see a possible Durst assassination than Creed or Sugar Ray.  This possible world-ending reunion could summon Satan himself to come out of Hell screaming, “God, whhhhhyyyyyy?!”

#3 – No Doubt

Outside the song “Bathwater,” everything past the album Tragic Kingdom was pretty bad.  That album perfected the ska-rock sound and projected this band into rock stardom.  I’ve seen this band live before, and they do put on an awesome show.  They even make their electro-pop-rock sound tolerable when performing.  Plus, Gwen Stefani is hot.  She always has been.  It would be good to see her going back to her rock roots instead of doing her pop/hip-hop/dance crap that shes been doing the past five years.

#2 – Alice In Chains

My love for music can be tied to Alice In Chains.  Their album Jar Of Flies was, literally, the very first album I ever owned.  Sure, I had the entire Michael Jackson catalogue when I was a youngin’, but Jar Of Flies was the first album that was MINE.  It was given to me at a party, and was the first actual CD that I ever had.  It certainly changed my life because I found a sound that I never heard before.  It was dark, heavy, passionate, and I never really understood it until my teen years.  True, their singer Layne Stanley died in 2002 from a drug-overdose, but their new singer allegedly sounds identical.  Just to see the band that started so much in my life would be monumental for me, and this is why they are so high on the list.  Expect a full length album in September and a tour to follow.

#1 – Faith No More

Finally.  The reunion that Mike Patton was quoted to say would never happen.  I’m not going to be cheesy and say that it’s “Epic” just like their only hit song, but you get it.  Mike Patton has one of the biggest cult followings in music history (yes, I am serious), and to see him with the band that made him famous would be astounding.  Faith No More is not one of the most popular bands in history, but they were certainly a band that influenced the biggest bands today.  If Faith No More never existed, much of the music afterwards would have been drastically different.  They are the band that your favorite band was a huge fan of.  They are legends in the minds of those who know them; they are the Led Zeppelin of the underground eccentric rock.  Though it’s not the original lineup, it’s still the biggest news I’ve heard in a long, long time.  I’ve heard rumors that they only plan to tour in Europe, but it would certainly be the best excuse to travel.

Music Sales Down Yet Again

So the physical sales of music was down an even more staggering amount in 2008, but they were almost offset by the rise in online digital sales.  This is even more grim news for the music industry, because it also shows that even less people are buying music in general, whether it be online or in stores.  According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, physical music sales dropped by nearly a third of what it was the year before.  While online sales grew by 16.5%, it still wasn’t enough to offset the overall downfall of the music industry by 18.6%.  In 2007, it was reported that about 65% of internet music listeners bought music opposed to stealing it, and in 2008 that number dropped to 58%.   These are the facts, and this is the proof that bands and artists need to tour their asses off ,selling as much merch as possible.  Ticket sales, merchandise, and publishing are soon to be the only  ways of income for the music industry.  Good luck.

Eminem – "3AM"

The new Eminem single released today is even more proof that Slim seems to be trying too hard on his comeback.  If you read my review of the “We Made You” single, you know that I am a fan of Em, but I find his new stuff to be overly-worked and not nearly as good as his work before.  ”3AM” is no different.  His vocals are strained, his flow is pushed, and he’s overly nasal (even more-so than his albums before).  The beat is a standard Dre beat, with the more realistic sounding hi-hat and snare as opposed to the overly programmed samples used in other rap beats.  I can’t help but feel that this song would be worlds better if Eminem just relaxed; if he just didn’t concentrate so much on having a higher pitch.  Also, he poorly quotes Buffalo Bill from Silence Of The Lambs.  The correct quote from the script would be, “it puts the lotion in the basket.”  Eminem has it quoted as, “it puts the lotion in the bucket.”  This small proof of laziness, as nit-picky as I may sound, ruins the entire track for me.  The only reason I don’t give this track a 1 out of 5 is because I still have hope for Slim.  Come on, man.  Don’t let me down.  2 out of 5

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQMkm1_FLdM]

New Green Day Single Is The Epitome Of Green Day

The new Green Day single was released called “Know Your Enemy,” which in my opinion is everything that is cliche about Green Day.  A simple guitar riff, repeated OVER AND OVER,  with some “whoa”‘s accompanied by simple melodies over the overly-simple guitar.  Don’t get me wrong, Green Day is actually pretty damn good, especially for what they do.  Their last album, “American Idiot,” was compared to being better than “Dookie,” which is still considered blasphemy in my mind.  This new single seems to be a direct continuation of the “American Idiot” feel, yet more simple.  They try to blast back onto the scene with a catchy chorus melody, but only come across as a dumbed-down, more lazy (or American for that matter) “American Idiot.”  I don’t like the single, I don’t like the video, and I especially don’t like how the same guitar riff is repeated throughout the ENTIRE song (outside of the bridge and a single post-chorus).  I’m serious.  Listen to it, the entire thing, and agree with me when I say that the songwriting is lacking and poor.  Let’s hope the rest of the songs aren’t like this.  I give this a 2 out of 5.

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SONGS FOR YOUR WEEKEND

Here at The Dune Review, I am pretty passionate about music. I’m also very dedicated to letting you know what’s good and what’s bad. The bad for today? The new Kanye West video in the post below. What am I going to do to make up for your disappointed eyes? I’m going to give you two songs which you should download from iTunes immediately and put on repeat on your iPod. Don’t say I never did anything for ya

The first I’m going to talk about is “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” from Cage The Elephant. This band is supposedly one of the best bands to see live right now. I’ve been unable to though I’ve had several opportunities, but I hear it’s quite the energetic experience. The single from the new album, “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” is simply amazing. Honestly, the rest of the album is… not as amazing. But this song makes it worthy of your time.

Cage The Elephant – “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked”

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Secondly, there is a new band with a lot of hype called Manchester Orchestra. Their single is an iTunes free release this week so hurry up and grab it. The album isn’t bad and I still have some listening to do with it, but the single is pretty awesome. The video plays heavily on the whole eclectic, thrift store shopping scene that is spreading like the emo-virus, but hey, at least its not the emo-virus. Enjoy.

Manchester Orchestra – “I’ve Got Friends”

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Most Boring Kanye West Video EVER

I’ve been waiting for quite a while to see the new Kanye West video for the song “Amazing,” one of the best songs on the 808′s album.  When I woke up this morning and saw the video, I was pretty disappointed.  I mean, yeah, I guess it’s kind of cool because he concentrates more on how “amazing” the world is and less on how “amazing” he is, which is a bit of a change for Kanye.  But, the video comes off like a sampler of clips from the Discovery channel, and I LOVE the Discovery channel.  This video is just so BORING though.  With Kanye West, you would initially expect nothing but originality when it comes to his videos because that’s what you have gotten so far, outside of the video for “Drive Slow,” which was just 4 and a half minutes of Kanye West and  Paul Wall driving in slow motion.  Every video Kanye has made has been able to stand out in the industry cluttered and over-saturated with fancy effects and mediocre songs.  I am a huge fan of Kanye, and its pretty much a fact that he truly is one of the biggest artists of this generation, but goddamnit Kanye, this pales in comparison to your other videos.  2 out of 5

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Mastodon – Crack The Skye (4 out of 5)

So I was really excited to hear the new Mastodon album, “Crack The Skye.”  Their previous work, “Blood Mountain,” was one of the best metal albums to come out in this decade, and I am VERY picky when it comes to metal music.  It’s actual been officially said that they have created their own genre of metal, aptly dubbed “beard metal.”  When I was in L.A. at the beginning of 2008, I was actually lucky enough to be able to hear a demo track of the new album while they were still in the studio, and what I heard was quite impressive.  So when the release date for the new album was announced, I was instantly psyched.

I was under the impression that the new album was going to be crazier than the last.  That’s what I was excited most about.  ”Blood Mountain” was so mathematical and hectic that it gave me the metal quench that only few bands have ever been able to do.  What they needed to accomplish in the new album was to take it a step beyond in order to top its predecessor.  What I got on the day it was released, however, was… good.  It was good, but it wasn’t great.  This album is more dedicated to their layered melodies instead of their insane riffs and chaotic style.  The song they released on their myspace prior to the release, “Oblivion,” sets the mood for the entire album.  It’s melodic, at many parts catchy, and it lacks the anarchic  chaos that “Blood Mountain” so eloquently had (look below for the song in it’s entirety). It opens the album and is by far the best track, followed by “Divinations” as the second and probably the loudest of the album.  ”The Last Baron” is the final track with a total runtime of 13 minutes.  The song is really good, but it has no need of being 13 minutes long.  Instead of a 7 track album with two songs clocked in at over 10 minutes, I would much rather have a 10 to 12 track album with each song rounding out to the 4 minute mark.  Don’t get me wrong, I do love the epic 7 to 9 minute song, but if a song goes past 10 minutes, it’s hard for me to listen to the entire thing unless its absolutely captivating, which “The Last Baron” only edges on.

I do like this album.  I really do.  And I think that every Mastodon fan will love it, but when you set the bar at such a high height with “Blood Mountain,” the new album just doesn’t match up.  If you like Mastodon, and especially if you like metal, then pick up a copy of “Crack The Skye.”  Just don’t get the impression that you will like it better than “Blood Mountain.”  Four out of five.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwA7KW-uSIE]

Pink Floyd suing EMI over miscalculated royalties

Pink Floyd is suing it’s label, EMI, over alleged miscalculated royalty payments.  Over the past 25 years, The Beatles are the only band to have outsold Pink Floyd in back catalogue, so you can probably imagine that the smallest miscalculation of royalty payments would result in a difference of millions of dollars.  The exact terms of the lawsuit were not released, and the band refused to comment, but allegedly it started when they were in negotiations with the label over payments that occur every three years.  EMI seems to be one of the label’s doing the most poorly.  Over the recent years they have pushed away their biggest acts, creating yet another catalyst for the decline of the record industry.  Radiohead left when re-negotiations of their contract went sour, leading to their successful self-release of the album “In Rainbows.”  Paul McCartney left the major label with the remark that EMI was “boring” and that “everybody at EMI had become part of the furniture. I’d be a couch; Coldplay are an armchair.”  Even The Rolling Stones left, soon becoming part of Universal.

The Pirate Bay found guilty, no one is suprised

A good while ago, ThePirateBay.org was sued by many companies for having torrents available for download and allowing people to share content online, whether it be music or porn or a cracked version of photoshop.  Consider this to be similar to the Napster ordeal, except not as shocking.  Napster came from nowhere and provided what the record industry feared most – a free product.  I won’t say that Napster was the reason the record industry is the way it is today, there are many factors that lead to its decline, but Napster was certainly the spark that ignited the line of gunpowder.  The Pirate Bay is similar to Napster, it doesn’t provide the product directly, it merely provides users with a direct way.  Similar to if you were to ask your friend for weed and he said, “I don’t have any, but I’m going to hook you up with a buddy of mine.”  It connects people all over the world to share torrents, which I won’t take the long time to explain how that works because it will take too long.  I’ll just say that its initially more confusing than Napster, but it is much safer and easier if you know how to use it.

Now it’s no surprise that they were sued.  Nearly every torrent website or file sharing website gets sued.  What would initially be surprising is that the case took place in Sweden, the home of the website’s founders.  This is a little surprising because Sweden has long been a supporter of free internet and so forth.  It doesn’t matter too much, though, because all the huge companies are going to go after the biggest torrent website no matter where they are.  It’s inevitable.  What is dangerous with this verdict, however, is that since THEY are guilty, it opens the floodgates for the companies to sue the ISPs.  The ISPs are the people who downloaded torrents from the website, i.e. YOU.  If you downloaded any torrent from The Pirate Bay, you may be at risk for a lawsuit.  But then again, if you downloaded anything illegal, ever, you may potentially be at some sort of risk for a lawsuit.

The battle over file sharing will never end.  I use to tell people back when Napster was getting sued that once they get shut down, it won’t matter because another will just sprout up.  People will always try and find ways to get free content online, and it is consistently getting easier.  P2P programs like Napster and Limewire are either getting shut down or flooded with viruses and fake files to thwart users, so torrents get created.  When companies find a way to heavily disrupt the torrent community, something else will take its place.  It will be a never-ending cycle that I don’t think will end unless the government takes complete control of the internet, similar to what is happening in China.  Let’s hope this doesn’t happen, because I for one love torrents.