via//chicago

Ex-Girlfriends and Black Jettas
np: "12=3" - ima robot

alright, so it's been 2 weeks now without a reasonable update. and i'm not armed with a handful of excuses, i just have been struggling with where to go with this blog right now. i've been trying to keep it away from just being a journalish thing about my life, because honestly.. no one wants to read that all the time. i was kind of hoping to go with the music news and updates thing, but hell... this guy, this guy, and this dude all do it more often and far better than i have the time for right now. plus they got the hook-ups on those sweet looking designs that aren't blogger templates. so yeah, i'm kind of stuck as to where i can go with it. i kind of liked the review thing i had started, but i didn't feel they were in-depth enough to be worthwhile and i don't have the time to get that much more in-depth and update more than every week or so. and again, there are more sites out there that really do that reviewing thing pretty swanky.
but shit, i love music. i love thinking about it and it's always floating around in my brain. so i like the thought of having an outlet, but i'm stuck as to where to go right now.

and although i mentioned earlier that no one wants to read personal shit about me... here's a little bone for the old-school readers that sat through my bitching and moaning about being single posts. i'm actually seeing the most amazing girl right now, not too seriously yet - but it's been going strong long enough now that i feel pretty optimistic about things.

and to get back to the music, it was a decent little shopping spree for some new tunes today, so i'll share my thoughts on the things i picked up after the initial listens.

Saves the Day - In Reverie
ok, so i wasn't expecting much from this one. i saw them live once and used to enjoy Can't Slow Down and Through Being Cool back in the day. but now, Chris is over-reaching for Johnny Rzeznik type pop-glory and falls flat on his ass. and the endearing glimpses of teenage love anxiety that used to creep into his lyrics are completely gone, replaced with pure drivel. this one truly sucks.

Thursday - War All the Time
so sue me, i enjoy this sort of stuff from time to time... angsty without being completely overbearing, traces of melody, and better than average songwriting for the genre. this album is basically more of the same from the band, but a couple songs manage to expand on the sound established on Full Collapse and make for a decent listening experience if you are into the band at all. but if you hate 'em, this surely ain't gonna be the one to change your mind.

Ima Robot - S/T
picked this one up on a fluke, based on the positive word of mouth floating around the web and the sub-$10 price tag. and surprisingly enough, the most enjoyable disc i bought all day. it's more of that danced up punk that the kids seem to be into these days - think Hot Hot Heat type of stuff, but more fun lyrically. and damn if "Black Jettas" doesn't end up as one of my favorite songs of the year. fun, fun album.

The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil Remixes
this was exactly what i expected, a very hit and miss single. the Neptunes do an excellent job of subtley spicing up the original, with a more orchaestral ending and a kick-ass breakdown. the Fatboy Slim mix is pure crap though. he threw in some of his trademark blips and whooses that you find in about every single one of his mixes. it may work for the big beat shit he's used to, but it don't fly with the Stones in the least. the Full Phatt mix falls somewhere between the first two versions, doing a better job of spicing things up than Norman but really failing to make it an enjoyable listen like the 'Tunes. and of course, the original in all its glory finishes off the disc.

phew, and with that i'm out.