Top 10 Concerts I've Ever Been To

I thought this would be fun to do... There are a lot of things to consider when trying to compare shows to one another. Shows like Kanye and RHCP have amazing production value because they're big budget acts that can afford to have huge lighting displays and screens on their tours, while smaller bands can't afford that stuff. But that shouldn't be held against the smaller bands. Also, there is the overall performance: how long the show was, has well the act performed, etc. Finally, there is the personal x-factor. The overall experience and memories you have when you think about a show.

1. Dispatch: Zimbabwe (7/13/07)
Madison Sq Garden, NYC
Dispatch's reunion concert is my #1 because of the x-factor. Radiohead put on the best show I have ever seen, but Dispatch was my favorite concert. I took the trip with a group of my best friends to NYC for the night, and was 3rd row at MSG. How can you beat that?!

2. Radiohead (8/13/08)
Grizzly Bear; Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA

3. Coldplay (10/29/08)
Duffy; TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA

4. The Roots (3/13/07)
Lupe Fiasco; Avalon, Boston, MA

5. Zox (11/27/04)
State Radio; Lupo's, Providence, RI

6. Atmosphere (10/12/05)
POS, Blueprint; Lupo's, Providence, RI

7. Jack Johnson (8/6/08)
Rogue Wave, Neil Halstead; Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA

8. Dave Matthews Band (8/1/07)
Xavier Rudd; Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA

9. Jurassic 5 (5/6/05)
Lupo's, Providence, RI

10. Kanye West (7/10/07)
Common, Lupe Fiasco; Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

Honorable Mentions/Runners Up:

11. The Who (10/24/08); Inward Eye; TD Banknorth Garden
12. Red Hot Chili Peppers (10/2/06); The Mars Volta; TD Banknorth Garden
13. Dispatch (7/31/04); The Hatch Shell, Boston
14. Rock The Bells: Rage Against the Machine, Wu-Tang Clan, Public Enemy, Cypress Hill, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Immortal Technique, Jedi Mind Tricks, MF Doom, Felt/Atmosphere, Sage Francis, Brother Ali, Mr. Lif, Akrobatik, Eligh & Grouch, Rahzel, Supernatural (7/29/07); Randall's Island, NYC
15. Guster (11/12/05); Matt Pond PA; Lupo's
16. Gym Class Heroes (2/17/07); Rx Bandits, POS, K-Os; The Avalon
17. Immortal Technique (4/1/07); Poison Pen, Akir; Middle East Downstairs
18. OAR (10/6/05); Dunkin Donuts Center

Mountain Dew Christmas Tree!!!

This is one of the coolest things EVER!!!
(click the picture to see it full-sized)

(Thanks to Eth. on kL for showing me the pictures)

Bad Larry Reunion Show

So last night was the Bad Larry reunion show after 3 years of not playing together... I was so excited about this show, even though I thought it would've been better at the Living Room over Thanksgiving when everyone was home, like it was originally scheduled for. But what are you gonna do... They are the best band to ever come out of Cranston, RI and they put on awesome shows, this was my 6th time seeing them.

Show was awesome! I was about 3 or 4 people from the stage, right in front of the horn section, which is my favorite part. They played great, everything seemed to go off without a hitch. The only problem for me was that it went by so fast. I really hope these guys get together again and play another show, even if its a few years from now.

With the number of concerts I go to, I kind of look for new and exciting things to do or take away from a show. For a while now, my goal has been to catch a drumstick thats thrown into the crowd at the end of a band's set. Bad Larry gave me the perfect opportunity, being so close and all. The drumsticks were thrown out into the crowd, and one was coming right at me. I was taller than most of the people around me, stuck my hand up, and should have had it... but I blew it. Rather than hit me in the soft part of my hand just above my thumb, it bounced right off the hard bone/joint at the base of my pointer finger. It hurt, too. I'm still bitter.

Anyways, here are some pictures I took with my phone. Keep in mind it's a camera phone so they aren't the best quality. If you click it you can see the full size version.

Random

I haven't posted anything in a while, and I don't really have anything to post at the moment... but felt like it was necessary to "check in".

Posts Coming Soon:
"Top 10 Concerts I've Been To", "Favorite Albums of 2008", and more...

Everyone should check out 2 comic strip sites that are updated almost daily... xkcd.com and explosm.net
Both sites had funny ones up today, which I will copy below:
(click to enlarge)

New Albums

Jedi Mind Tricks - A History of Violence 8.5/10
Brand new album from JMT that marks the return of Jus Allah to the group after a 3 album absence. The production was awesome. Usually I'm the one saying that production only hurts a record if it becomes distractingly bad, but this album is proof that great production can also really strengthen an album. Really complex beats with samples and a lot of strings, coming from DJ Stoupe, and sometimes accompanying scratches by DJ Kwestion. Vinnie Paz sounded great on the album. Lots of passion, great rhyming, and some serious topics. It was good to hear Jus Allah back, but his verses were actually forgettable, for the most part. Although I feel he is still important to the group for balance purposes. My only problem is that the best songs are the first, "Deathbed Doctrine", and last, "Death Messiah". While I enjoyed everything in between, I think the flow of the album could have been better. Great album though, definitely glad I checked it out.

88-Keys - The Death of Adam 8.5/10
At first I didn't like the album. But after I was done listening to it, I thought about it for 10 or 15 minutes and realized the genius. I hadn't just listened to an album, I had just listened to a movie. I initially thought the narration between songs was lame, but now I realize how important it was to the story. The beats were very well produced, which was kind of the meat of the album, I think. The lyrics/verses/guest appearances were all good, but nothing special. They did their part to tell a piece of the story. But rather than think of it as an album, like I did originally, you have to think of it as an audio movie. I can honestly see a real movie play before me as I listen to it. You know the whole plot and each scene and even some of the dialogue, and could elaborate from there. Someone should make this movie; it would either be great or terrible. So I'd say its a decent album, musically, but the ingenuity, creativity, and pure genius behind the concept really make it special. I'd love to see something like this about a more serious topic.

The Killers - Day & Age 9/10
Okay. I'm two listens deep, and to be honest I think I need more. But I'll give it a shot anyways. I had slightly different expectations going in, so the first listen threw me off-balance which is why I needed to go back. I was surprised to not hear any Guitar Hero worthy anthems like "When You Were Young". I was expecting the album to be more loud and dance-inducing. However, I didn't hold that against it. I went back and re-listened, knowing what I was getting into, and it resulted in a more enjoyable experience, not to say that the first listen wasn't. The songs are great, both instrumentally and lyrically. Brandon's voice sounds more crisp and clear than it has on any previous work. I think the "experimental" tracks where they tried to do something completely different, like "Joy Ride" and "This Is Your Life", sound a little out of place at first, but I liked them even more the second time around. I think the album is going to really grow on me and I'll end up loving it more than I do now. The only tracks that I don't really feel at the moment are "Dustland Fairytale" and "I Can't Stay". I feel like the most powerful tracks are the first 4 and the last (10th), leaving you wanting a little more "umph" in the middle, even though I love middle tracks like "Neon Tiger" and "This Is Your Life". The bonus tracks, "A Crippling Blow" and "Forget About What I Said", seem to be the louder more anthem-sounding tracks that I was looking for in the album, leaving me unsure of why they didn't want to include them. Overall, the shortcomings are little compared to the quality of all the positives. I had trouble choosing between an 8.5 and 9, but I can tell that this is the type of album that gets better with each listen, so I went for the higher of the two.

Quantum of Solace

So last night I went to the midnight showing of the new Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. Being the shortest Bond movie in the franchise, and being described as "action-packed" had me worried, going in, that it would strip the charm and humor of Bond and turn him into an action hero.
Unfortunately, I was right. I'll give it a 7/10.
(As an action movie: 8/10 ; Bond movie: 6/10)

The movie was good and bad. It was what I expected going into it. If I hadn't read reviews beforehand, my hopes would've been much higher and I would've given it a much lower score. They kind of made it too much of an action movie, and not enough of a Bond movie. There wasn't really any charm and suave-ness, it was just almost all action and killing. It was entertaining, but just not in the way a Bond movie should be. Also, there was no signature gun barrel sequence at the beginning of the movie; they put it at the very end. Now it took me a while to get over the fact that they had cut out signature phrases like "Bond, James Bond" and "Shaken Not Stirred", but I knew they did that months ago so it was okay. Regardless, some things shouldn't change, and the gun barrel sequence is one of them. What was the point of taking it out? It was a terrible decision. Which leads me to the next thing, the opening song and opening credit sequence both sucked. Kind of a letdown there, too. While Judi Dench is always great as M, I was trying to figure out why all of her agents/assistants weren't calling her "M" but something that sounded like either "Ma'am" or "Mum". Why did the director/writers/producers try to change so much of the conventions that make Bond movies Bond movies? What are they trying to prove? I just don't get it. With all that said, it was still fun to watch and really entertaining... some really cool action scenes.

However, there were other issues that weren't related to Bond movies specifically. The camera-work was really bad to the point of being distracting during action scenes. They were all shot way too close up, with almost no wider shots. The cameras were too shaky, sometimes losing the characters from the frame. In the first two action sequences in the movie, it was hard to tell at times who Bond was and who the bad guy was, which is really distracting. When you cut to a new shot or angle in a movie, its supposed to be done so that the viewer doesnt even notice. I noticed. There were way too many cuts, which, combined with the shaky camera and close angle, really made it hard to follow. People were surprised when the length of the film was announced. At 1:40 it is the shortest Bond film ever, but to me it felt like it ran long.

Daniel Craig is excellent. I don't want to take anything away from him. He's a great Bond, I just hope that they can put him in another good Bond movie before he gets too old. All of the acting, actually, I thought was pretty good. It's the writers' and director's fault, here, for making a bad Bond movie. It was almost like they were torn, because there are certain scenes that are SO Bond and really help make the movie, like an homage to Goldfinger that I won't spoil for anyone.

So overall, I was disappointed... I'm hoping that when they make a few more and show the progression of Bond from being new, rebellious and killing people to being more classy, this movie will fit in well. Although, at the end of Casino Royale it appeared as if he was evolving into the classy Bond we know in the very last scene. It was almost like they threw that out the window and made him rugged and vengeful all over again. So we'll see what happens next, I hope they realize what they did wrong and make a real Bond movie next time.

Music Reviews

After more than 2 weeks of listening to the same old crap on my iPod and becoming bored with it all, I finally downloaded a ton of new music, some old, some brand new.

Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman 9.5/10
I love Cat Stevens, but only ever had his greatest hits album. This album, which propelled him to fame in 1970, is supposedly his best, so I wanted to try it out. Coincidentally enough, 5 out of the 11 tracks appear on his greatest hits compilation, and after listening to the album, I don't know where the other 6 fell short. He was one hell of a folk singer. While I wouldn't say he is "better" than Bob Dylan, I can admit that I prefer him. (Voice is better, lyrics aren't). The album is all about living in the world, but disregarding everyday concepts and ideas in search of a more spiritual fulfillment. It's beautiful. "Father and Son" is one of my favorite songs of all time... I've heard it at least a hundred times and yet it still gives me chills. My only complaint is that its awfully short, at 36min, which may have been normal in 1970, I'm not sure. The two tracks that are barely over a minute long each leave you wanting so much more out of them, and had they been longer and on the same level as the rest of the album, it would be perfect (to me).

Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing: The Very Best Of 8/10
Greatest hits albums are supposed to be great (obviously). I feel like they should be 10/10s or else they aren't really doing their job. They need to include the best songs by the artist, but try and make them seem cohesive rather than just a collection of songs. I had never listened to Dire Straights before, but this album did all those things. They were good songs, and the flow of the collection worked really well for me. The reason I give it an 8 is because I just don't think Dire Straights are all that special. I really liked listening to them. Mark Knopfler's voice sounds kind of in between Bob Dylan and Tom Petty, to me, which I liked, and the instrumentation was cool and laid back but not too simple. They were good, just not great. They didn't stand out to me as a band that's any different from all the rest. Some greatest hits albums leave me wanting more so I go out and get the artist's actual albums (see: Cat Stevens, Steve Miller Band), but this one, while it was a good album and I'll listen to it again, didn't make me feel that way. I feel like the 16 tracks are all the Dire Straights that I will ever need. I guess this review turned more into an artist review than an album review, but maybe that's what a greatest hits album review really is.

Q-Tip - The Renaissance 8.5/10
I'm impressed. I didn't think he still had it in him, seeing as it's been 6 years since he officially released anything. I didn't expect this album to be good when I heard about it, but was still going to give it a shot. Positive reviews started pouring in and I began to wonder if it was really a good album. It is. As an album, its so complete, even though its just a little bit short for my liking. The songs work together well and couldn't be in a better order. Start to finish, it's kind of like taking a trip. I really enjoyed it. The beats, all produced by Q-Tip himself except one by Dilla, are fresh-sounding, not too-synthy and "new school" but not too old where you think its ATCQ. I've always been a fan of his unconventional voice and delivery, and they work well here, with some great lyrics on several songs as well. My only issue is that I don't know if the album has any replay value. While it sounds really great as a whole, I can't think of any tracks that stick out as catchy, possible singles, except for Gettin Up, which was the lead single. It's the same problem I had with Oasis' "Dig Out Your Soul". As an album, it sounds great, I just wish there were more catchy stand-out tracks.

Jay-Z vs. Coldplay - Viva La Hova (Mixtape) 7/10
I had to listen to this twice before I could really say anything about it. It's basically the same as all other Jay-Z mash-up projects (besides The Grey Album). There are some tracks that sound amazing, and some that are too forced and sound weird. It's what I expected. I really don't like tracks that just loop 10 seconds of a Coldplay songs or chop it up so that it is almost unrecognizable. Why does "No Love Coming Home" has someone that isnt Chris Martin singing the chorus from Homecoming? "Science is Ignorant" would be amazing if they could get the chorus to actually sound like Chris Martin; it's extremely frustrating. But on the other hand, when they find a Jay verse that works perfectly over a longer Coldplay instrumental with limited tempo changes and chopping, it comes out sounding so good. Unfortunately, the majority of the songs don't sound as good as I wish they did. Lost+ and Beach Chair, the two official collaborations between Coldplay and Jay, are the best tracks, which is unfortunate. But the other good tracks, like "Take the Hill", sound awesome, and almost make up for the bad ones.

007: Thursday at Midnight

This weekend, I officially ordered tickets to Thursday night's midnight showing of Quantum of Solace. I can't wait.

Matt Roloff

Last night, one of the frats at Northeastern brough Matt Roloff, the father on the TLC show "Litte People, Big World" to Blackman Auditorium to give a speech about overcoming adversity and challenges in life. Having seen the show on several occasions, and wanting to make my sister jealous since she's obsessed with the show, I attended.

It was really interesting. A little boring/slow at first, he ended up really getting into how he was able to overcome adversity and take the positive out of everything negative that has happened to him. Really inspiring, and he was pretty funny, too. He did a little Q&A type thing with the audience, too, which I thought was cool, where he got a little more into talking about the show and stuff like that.

President Obama

I couldn't be happier...

Election Day

Well its election day here in good ol' America.

Let's hope the American people don't screw the country over like they did the last 2 times...

OBAMA '08 !!!


Also, if you're interested in politics, you should get involved with http://www.theyouthmovement.org which has a blog written by very intelligent younger people, giving a younger perspective on things, as well as a great up-and-coming forum where you can register and get involved in discussions on many different political and historical levels.

Halloween

Halloween weekend is always something to look forward to. This year, I was troubled with the decision of what to dress up as, and couldn't decide on any good ideas until about Tuesday. I decided to go with The Mad Hatter, and while I originally didn't think it was that great, the positive feedback I got all weekend made me more confident in my costume. It ended up being really fun.

Friday we had a Halloween party at work. There were snacks and drinks and the company we share the floor with came over to hang out. There were some great costumes, too. Waldo, Courtney Love, and a mail-order bride seem to stick out in my mind. I ended up winning one of the costume awards, which was cool. About an hour after returning to work, I returned to the party, to spend the last two hours of work partying with a select group of co-workers. Much cooler than the original party earlier. It was probably my best day of work, ever.

Friday night we went to a party. It was fun. haha... enough said. There were a bunch of cool costumes, some lame ones, and overall it was fun until we had to leave. Saturday was the big Northeastern - UNH hockey game. Costume night, so I dressed up yet again and paraded down to Matthews Arena for the game. It ended in a tie 2-2, which is bullshit because the refs were so goddamn terrible. But it had some of the biggest hits I've seen in a long time, which was fun, not to mention the huge fight that broke out in the middle of the third period. Good times, I just wish we had come away with the win.

Coldplay

Two huge shows at the Garden in one week?! Damn. So I saw Coldplay last night at the TD Banknorth Garden, where I was just 5 nights earlier for The Who. It was amazing, needless to say.
While I had heard about their great live shows, it still surpassed my expectations. They were so so good. It was basically the definition of "stadium status", and Kanye puts it. Every song they have seemed to fill the Garden and really show why they are arguably the biggest band in the world right now. Chris Martin puts so much into every show and you can tell. He dances and goes nuts when he's not playing piano, had great crowd interaction, and was a really funny, down to earth guy. Right before they go offstage for the first time, the band runs into the back of a loge section to do 2 acoustic songs out in the crowd. Somehow, it was our lucky night, because it was our section. We were in the second row of the loge, but right on the aisle, so the band literally walked right past us. Kayla reached out and actually touched Chris Martin's hand, sending her into a frenzy, haha. It was awesome. The lighting rig was one of the best I've seen, and the glowing balls that hung from the ceiling and the screen in the background were so cool. The endless butterfly-shaped confetti that fell from the ceiling during Lovers in Japan was beautiful. Also, I don't know why it seems like Chris Martin's voice sounds a little off on TV, because he was perfect lastnight. Every step of the show was so well put together and well planned, and it went off without a hitch. They played for 2 hours in total, and it was 2 hours I'll always remember as being one of the best shows I've ever seen.

NU Hockey

Northeastern's hockey team swept Maine over the weekend, winning 5-0 on Friday and 2-1 on Saturday!!!

In the new poll out today, we are ranked NINTH in the country!!! WOO HOOOO!!!
Next up, an away-and-home pair of games against #6 UNH this weekend.

The Who

So I saw The Who at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston last night. Damn, where they good. We had crappy seats because the prices were ridiculous ($250 each for floor seats... screw that). Regardless of how old these guys are, they still rock harder than most bands I've seen. It was so loud, and every song punched you in the face. They were really powerful, and played an amazing setlist of classic songs. Everyone in the crowd felt the energy and added to it by going nuts at every opportunity. It was so awesome. Pete Townshend really is one of the greatest guitarists ever. Just amazing. What a great show.

Setlist:
I Can't Explain
The Seeker
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
Fragments
Who Are You
Behind Blue Eyes
Real Good Looking Boy
Baba O'Riley
Gettin in Tune
Eminence Front
Sister Disco
Sea And Sand
5.15
Love Reign O'er Me
My Generation
Won't Get Fooled Again
Encore:
Pinball Wizard
Amazing Journey
Sparks
See Me/Feel Me
Tea & Theatre

Also, this is a pretty good article from the Boston Herald about the show (except the part about “Real Good Looking Boy” which is total bull): http://news.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/general/view.bg?articleid=1127729

Northeastern Hockey

It's back!!! I've missed going to hockey games so much since the season ended in March.

The Huskies played their first home game on Saturday, beating Boston College, who was ranked #1 in the country, by a score of 4-3. It was honestly the best hockey game I've been to since I came to Northeastern. It was also the first time Matthews Arena has sold out since 2005, which totally added to the atmosphere (5,407 people). It was just a great game and a lot of fun, and hopefully it will attract bigger crowds to come to future games.

Northeastern is now 3-0-1 overall, (2-0-0 in Hockey East,) and in the new poll that came out Monday is ranked #14 in the country! Goalie Brad Thiessen was named Hockey East Player of the Week, and the Huskies were named team of the week by "College Hockey News": Click Here To Read The Article

We play Friday and Saturday nights away against Maine. Next home game is Saturday, November 1, and the DogHouse is having a Halloween costume party. Should be a lot of fun (again).

(Photos from dieharddogs.com. top: NUFaust; bottom: blackout)

2 New Music Videos

For a change of pace, I'd like to post 2 new music videos that I really enjoyed. Kanye West premiered his video for "Love Lockdown" on Ellen on Tuesday, and I think its really different than any of his previous videos. And yesterday, Atmosphere premiered their new video for "You", which is focused around a dude fingerboarding. Do you remember Tech Decks?!? I laughed through the whole video because I used to have so many. And the guy doing it in the video is actually a World Champion Fingerboarder (yes, apparently they have competitions...)

Kanye West - Love Lockdown


Atmosphere - You

Albums & Concerts for the Rest of 2008

So with October starting, we move into the last quarter of the year. With a lot of concerts happening between now and the end of the year, as well as albums coming out, I thought it would be an appropriate time to post lists of what I'm excited about as far as Albums and Concerts for Q4 2008. I won't even get into movie releases. There's so much great stuff happening, I'm really excited.

Album Release Schedule:

10/7:
Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul
10/14:
Jedi Mind Tricks - A History of Violence
10/28:
John Legend - Evolver
Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns
88-Keys - The Death of Adam
11/4:
Fall Out Boy - Folie a Deux
Q-Tip - The Renaissance
11/11:
Common - Universal Mind Control
Jurassic 5 - J5 EP (Re-release, 2CD/1DVD)
11/25:
Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak
The Killers - Day & Age
Coldplay - Prospekt's March EP
Ludacris - Theater of the Mind
12/2:
Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3

Concerts/Shows I'm Going To:

10/13: Planets Beyond Neptune at The Living Room, Providence
10/17: Jon Stewart at Matthews Arena, Boston
10/24: The Who at TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
10/29: Coldplay at TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
11/12: Kings of Leon at the Orpheum, Boston
11/28: Bad Larry at The Living Room, Providence
11/29: Girl Talk at Lupos, Providence

Ben Folds

So I went and saw Ben Folds last night for the third time. His third solo album, Way To Normal, comes out on Tuesday so he has been touring in support of it. It was the last show of this year's WBRU's Dunkin Donuts Concert Series, at the Bank of America City Center (the ice rink).

Ben Folds is always really fun to see live. He talks and jokes a lot between songs and has great crowd interaction, even giving the audience parts to sing in a few songs. I knew he would play a ton of new songs, since the album comes out so soon, but what I was not expecting was the entire set to be new songs. Him and his band spent a day in the studio a month or two ago and created an entire fake album, with different takes on the same track names, and leaked it online to screw with people. So during their hour-long set, they played almost the entire new album, as well as several tracks off of the fake album. The songs were good, some funny, and I was familiar with 2 of them from his MySpace page, but I really wish he would've mixed it up. I mean, when you have a cult following like he does, it takes balls to go out and play a whole set of only new material, so I commend him for it, but I also wanted to hear old favorites.

About 5 or 6 songs in, he explained that they would play the older stuff in the encore, which gave me hope of a really long encore full of classics. But the encore came, he played 4 old songs, only 3 of which I knew, and then finished the night with another new one. It was a great show and a lot of fun, because he always is, but I was kind of disappointed.

What it did do was make me really excited to get the new album on Tuesday, which was probably his goal... so it worked.

The Roots: Discography

One of my favorite groups has always been The Roots, simply because they transcend genres. They are such a great hip-hop group, with Black Thought being, in my opinion, one of the best rappers out there, and at the same time they are a fun band to listen to, with a great horn section. The first time I saw them live ranks in my top 5 concerts that I've been to. So over the last two days, I listened through their entire discography, a lot of which I had never heard before, and wrote more mini-reviews on each album.

The Roots - Organix (1993) 7.5/10
The little-known, often forgotten, indie label debut from The Roots. I really didnt know what to expect going in, since I know the Roots have changed as a group so much since the beginning. It was a good album, though; especially for a debut. Its soulful and jazzy, not to mention I'm a sucker for "real" instrumentation on hip hop tracks (as opposed to computer-produced beats). Lyrically, Black Thought isn't quite as good as he is now, but still sounds great and is still better than most people out there. Even ?uestlove raps on a couple of tracks, which I wasn't expecting at all. My only problem was the it seems to drag a little and becomes kind of repetitive. Nothing really pops out at you and it just kind of keeps the same tone throughout instead of mixing it up.

The Roots - Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995) 8/10
This was a little better than "Organix". They obviously had better production because they were signed to a major label and it shows. Everything sounds cleaner and more fine-tuned. Black Thought is evolving as an artist and songwriter. It just sounds like a more complete album. Also, Rahzel was a member of The Roots at the time, and he adds that extra pop that I mentioned "Organix" not having. Overall, a solid album, some good tracks, but nothing really memorable.

The Roots - Illadelph Halflife (1996) 8.5/10
This is the first album I recognized a song or two on. While many people regard it as one of the best, if not the best, albums from The Roots, I didn't really see it being too special. It's really just the first album by The Roots that we know today. Almost like the first two albums were warm-ups. It's got a much more commercial sound with R&B hooks and whatnot. Some tracks, this works really well on, but on a lot of them it just makes them seem fake. It doesnt have the chill jam-band feeling of the previous 2 albums. So while its overall a much better album with some great tracks and a great new direction, the fact that they lost the sound of being an "indie band", for the lack of a better term.

The Roots - Things Fall Apart (1999) 9.5/10
One of the best. Its like they took "Illadelph Halflife" and perfected it. They somehow find a happy medium between sounding commercial and sounding like a band. It goes back to being funky and cool and jazzy, but keeps the upbeat mainstream sound that makes it fun. There are several memorable tracks, obviously including "You Got Me" ft. Erykah Badu, which won a Grammy. Other great guest spots by Common and Mos Def help round out the album. Its just so good. My only complaint is that it runs long, at just over 70min, and I can see where cutting out a couple of tracks would've made the album perfect.

The Roots - Phrenology (2002) 9/10
My favorite Roots album. Its the perfect length, and is basically more of the all-around complete greatness that was captured on "Things Fall Apart". 2 Kweli features are both awesome. The flow and feeling of the album is a little more well-rounded and complete than "Things Fall Apart". I think the only thing I didn't like was that it wasnt really anything new. They didnt really grow between albums at all, and as much as they didn't have to because both of these albums are amazing, I like to see artists try new things. Great album though... I really love it.

The Roots - The Tipping Point (2004) 8/10
Underrated. I feel like nobody ever talks about this album, and its pretty good. With that said, its not nearly as good as "Things Fall Apart" or "Phrenology". It sounds a lot more mainstream, which in this case isn't really a good thing. It sounds like they tried to preserve that groovy Roots feel and it just didn't work out that well. It's also too short for me. The production sounds good for a mainstream rap album, but bad for a Roots album. The rapping is on point stylistically, but content-wise I wish it were stronger. Its a good album, and actually the first Roots album I ever heard in full, back when it came out 4 years ago.

The Roots - Game Theory (2006) 8/10
I forgot about this album. I really like it, even though its not "classic" material or anything. It's really serious and to the point, covering some deep/heavy topics. Its more tied together as an album, with a lot of seamless transitions between tracks, which I like. There's a handful of good songs, but also a bunch of songs I already forget about. As it is the Roots 7th album, I'm not really impressed. But if I heard this having never listened to them before, I'd probably be blown away. So I'll settle somewhere in the middle, like I did with "The Tipping Point."

The Roots - Rising Down (2008) 8/10
Another solid album. I hadn't listened to this is several months, but I really liked it. It's in my Top 10 of the year, though dangling on at number 10. In the same way that I saw "Phrenology" being basically "Things Fall Apart" Volume 2, I think Rising Down feels a lot like "Game Theory" Volume 2. It has the same serious tone and heavy subject matter, with the rhymes and production both tight and really enjoyable. My problem with the album is that there are too many features. Although almost everyone featured does really well on the album, I just hate it when people have features in almost every track. I need more Black Thought verses. I don't listen to the Roots because I wanna hear Dice Raw or P.o.r.n. So its a good album, but clearly not the Roots' best.

Kings of Leon: Discography

On a recommendation from a friend, a downloaded and listened to the new Kings of Leon album, Only by the Night. While I had heard of them, I had never listened to anything by the band before, but fell in love after one listen to this amazing album. I instantly had to listen to the first 3 albums from the band, and here are my mini-reviews of them all:

Kings of Leon - Youth and Young Manhood (2003) 7.5/10
Blah. I was hoping for this to be as epic as the new album. I guess I should've went in blindly. While there are several tracks where the arrangements and instrumentation is great and very enjoyable, the album as a whole felt really dull and boring to me. The vocals weren't anything special and I couldn't really understand him some of the time. But with that said, its a decent album with some good songs on it.

Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak (2005) 8.5/10
Way better than "Y&YM", in my opinion. The tracks are more diverse. Vocals are more aggressive and more clear. Same great instrumentation as before. It just sounds more creative and more of a well-rounded, full album. Its still missing something... it needs something extra to set it apart from the other albums of the genre, because it would be way to easy to lump this in with everything else and forget about it. But I really liked it, regardless.

Kings of Leon - Because of the Times (2007) 9/10
I got distracted while listening to this so I really need to go back and give it more proper attention. As of right now, I really really liked it. I would say it shows definite growth from "Aha Shake..." while maintaining the same basic things that makes the band who it is. It's not boring at all, tracks are diverse with great guitar riffs. The drummer sounds really great in this one, too. I really enjoy it, but need to listen again.

Kings of Leon - Only By The Night (2008) 10/10
Wow... Now I know I might seem like an easy grader, because I give a lot of 8s and 9s, but I swear its just because I like a lot of music. While I give a lot of 8-9 range scores, its really tough for me to give a 10. An album has to be perfect, and I generally go hunting for errors. The only other album, this year, I would give a 10 to is Coldplay. This album, though, totally took me by surprise. I had never listened to any Kings of Leon, and this is their fourth album. I don't really know how to describe it, but I love it. They mix in a southern feel to their hard indie-rock sound, and I love it. The guy's voice sounds great, the lyrics are great, and the instrumentation is awesome. I'm amazed that the 4 members are related (3 brothers and a cousin)... how could there be so much talent in one family?! They have some experimental-sounding tracks, but don't push it too far and confuse people. Its great. I cant wait to hear their older material.

Common: Discography

It's been almost a month since I wrote anything down in here, mainly because I've been busy and really just haven't had anything worth writing down. But over the last 2 days I listened to and reviewed all 7 albums by one of my favorite rappers, Common. So let's get right into it:

Common - Can I Borrow A Dollar? (1992) 7.5/10
Common's debut album. It's so weird to hear him like this. Its kind of raw and gritty. Makes him sound like he's from the streets. His topics aren't as intellectual as they are these days, at all. He raps really quickly, with sort of a sing-songy style at times. The production is simple, at some times too simple, but overall it fits perfectly. Lyrically I love it, even if it is less "smart" than his most recent two albums. His pop culture references and perfect wordplay make it fun to listen to. It's a good record, and definitely an underrated debut album, but at the same time, there's nothing really special about it, which might be because I'm listening to it 16 years too late.

Common - Resurrection (1994) 9/10
The beginning of the Common everyone knows and loves today. The rapping is more relaxed and steady, the lyrics are much more intellectual, and the wordplay is just as clever as ever, making it a really fun listen. The production is almost all by No ID (as was Can I Borrow A Dollar?) but he steps it up and polishes everything nicely; it sounds really jazzy and I love that. I felt like it dragged just a little bit in the middle, though... that's my only problem. "I Used to Love H.E.R." is one of my favorite rap songs of all time, and it never gets old. Overall, it's a great album, and deserves all the critical acclaim it got.

Common - One Day It'll All Make Sense (1997) 8/10
Another solid album from Common. Not as great as Resurrection, but still really good. Its a little too long, and the rhymes and production arent quite as tight as they were on Resurrection, but overall its still a step in the right direction, as you can tell that Common is evolving as an artist. There's a few good features, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Q-Tip, Black Thought. The two stand-out songs, to me, were "Retrospective for Life" ft. Lauryn Hill, a really touching description of how Common feels about the impending birth of his first child, and "G.O.D. (Gaining One's Definition)" ft. Cee-Lo, which is just an awesome, intellectual, inspiring song.

Common - Like Water For Chocolate (2000) 9/10
This is my favorite Common album. To me, its a lot like Resurrection, but with better production. Dilla and ?uestlove do the majority, with additional help from dj premier. The lyrics are tight again, with just as much soul and meaning and social consciousness as ever. Even though the albums are no longer produced by No ID, they still have a soulful, jazzy feel, which I liked about them. "The Light" is one of my favorite hip hop songs ever, and there are so many other great tracks on here ("The 6th Sense", "A Song For Assata"). I do feel however, like with "Resurrection", that it drags just a little bit and needs something extra to make it pop out at you.

Common - Electric Circus (2002) 8.5/10
This album is underrated. In the same way that people are going to hate on "Universal Mind Control" for being different than what they are used to hearing, people hated on "Electric Circus". The only difference being that "Electric Circus" moves toward a less commercially accepted sound while "UMC" is doing the opposite. Its basically the same production team as before, ?uestlove and Dilla, with 2 tracks from The Neptunes. There are great features by Cee-Lo, Mary J Blige, Pharrell, and even P.O.D.'s Sonny Sandoval. It feels like such a cool, soulful, eclectic album. Common's not as intellectual, but still enough to not worry people. There are still amazing lyrical songs, including probably his most serious/deepest song ever, "Between Me, You, and Liberation", where he discusses sexual abuse, homophobia, and cancer. The last track, the epic "Heaven Somewhere", features 6 vocalists discussing their thoughts on heaven. The album such a different sound, and I admit that the first time I wasn't totally bought, but after my second listen, I really enjoy it.

Common - Be (2005) 9/10
What an album. While it seems short after just finishing "Electric Circus" (73min vs. 42min), I would rather have an album be a little too short than a little too long. Production is all Kanye except for 2 Dilla tracks, which is great. My only qualm besides the length is that its a little less instrumental than other albums, which had a great jazzy feel with horns and instruments, but I have been saying I want Kanye to go more in that direction for a while now. Lyrics and flow are on point, with some great conscious rhymes as well as some great storytelling. I literally get chills at the end of "Testify". I don't know what else to say. Every song could be a single and be successful, and every song is so well put together and well thought out with almost no fluff or filler. It's great.

Common - Finding Forever (2007) 8.5/10
This gets my award for Common's worst album cover, haha. My first instinct is to say that while its a great album, its nothing new, its like Be...continued. But I have to think about it as a separate entity in some right, so I will. Like I said, its a great album. More great Kanye production (though still not as jazzy as I want), with other production from will.i.am and Dilla. Where this album falls off compared to the others is that I think it's too poppy. While there are still some soulful tracks, it's not as universally soulful as Common's previous work. There is too much name-dropping and too many pop culture references. While the majority of the album is still intellectual and smart, the added fluff upsets me a little bit.
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Just a reminder that Common's 8th studio album is due to be released in November. It's titled "Universal Mind Control" and includes recently released singles "UMC (Universal Mind Control)" and "Announcement".

I think I am going to continue on with this big discography review thing, its kind of interesting. Starting Monday I'll get into the 8 albums from The Roots, then all 6 Atmosphere albums, all 9 from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and who knows where we'll go from there...

The Game - LAX

Now I like to think that I listen to a wide variety of music... but I haven't really been into commercial rap in a while. I always kind of bunched The Game in with the whole G-Unit/Lil Wayne style of trying to be hardcore and gangster when they arent and their music isn't all that good anyways. I downloaded the "Dope Boys" music video because I like Travis Barker, who is featured on the track, and I thought the track was catchy and actually sounded pretty good. So when I was bored the other day, I downloaded the new album from The Game, LAX. I was wrong about him. I'm listening to the album as I type this right now for probably the fourth or fifth time in two days.

It's definitely a great album. I mean, I don't think its like revolutionary or classic or anything, and it probably wont make my top 10 albums of the year because its not really my style, but seriously it was good. I didn't skip any tracks like I thought I would end up doing. The production is all perfect, the features are awesome (Common, Nas, Ice Cube, Raekwon, etc), and the album has that tied-together feel that I love about good albums. I might actually go back and get The Game's first 2 albums and see if they're more of the same. I think he's really the closest thing I've heard to "gangsta rap" in a long time... it was really refreshing to hear music that gritty and raw again, NWA style. I love NWA, and wouldn't put Game anywhere near their level, but he's better than anyone else trying to make gangsta rap right now.

To be honest, I think my favorite song on the album, at least one of them, is "My Life" featuring Lil Wayne. That's right, Lil Wayne. I HATE that guy... like with an undying passion... but somehow he fits the song. It works. Not to mention that he does the chorus, not an actual verse (thank god). "Dope Boys" is great and is going to help Travis Barker become the next big feature on a lot of rap songs. Overall, I was just really surprised by how much I liked the album. Its definitely worth checking out if you miss the NWA gangsta rap days.

The Faint

So a few days ago I voted in this poll on the radio, and ended up winning 2 tickets to see The Faint at the Roxy (in Boston) tonight. I had never heard of them, and in the last couple days, I listened to 2 of their albums only about once each. Theyre 5 dudes who basically make fun party music. A lot of it is really synth-y (the newer stuff way more than the old), while some sounds much more like normal electric guitar-based music. Its kind of experimental. I'd say theyre kind of like Ratatat but with words.

I was pleasantly surprised by the show. Luckily we planned to go late and miss the openers, and timed it PERFECTLY. We had been in the door about 10min tops when the band came on stage. The lights were cool and rave-y, the hour that they played flew by, which doesnt usually happen with groups you arent familiar with, and I had fun. I really wasn't expecting much of anything since the last show I went to was Radiohead, which was one of the best of my life. Tonight was totally a party scene, perfect for a big group of friends who just wanna go nuts and dance. Too bad it was just me and my roommate standing off to the side haha. Either way, it was fun and I enjoyed it. Maybe I'll check out their albums.

Radiohead!

Wow... there really are no words to describe what happened at the Comcast Center in Mansfield last night. I'm still going crazy just thinking about it and replaying it in my head.


I've decided that it was the second best concert I have ever been to, and if you know me at all, you'll know that that's a huge deal, haha. It really helped that we got into the Pit right in front, so we were dead center about 12 people back from the stage. The openers, Grizzly Bear, sounded like they were probably pretty good, but we were walking around for most of their set and the part I was in the pit for I was busy staring at the light rigs that they were about to bring out for Radiohead.

So about 10 minutes before 9pm, it happened. Radiohead came onstage. It was amazing being literally 25 feet away from Thom Yorke on stage. We were close enough that it felt like an intimate club show which was amazing, but far away enough that we got the full experience with the amazing light show that they put on. (The front row is WAY overrated.) The light show was unmatched by anything I have ever seen, as you can see.

I've never really been able to consider myself a huge Radiohead fan. I've only listened to 3 albums (In Rainbows, OK Computer, Kid A) and I don't really know the words to most of the songs. But I enjoy the music and saw pictures of the light show and wanted to go. I had no idea it was going to melt my face off the way it did. Thom Yorke is insane. Seriously, he might be one of the weirdest people I've ever seen. But he LOVES what he does every night on stage and it shows. He gets so into the music and really feels every song, rather than just reciting the lyrics. That was one huge part of the show that made it so much better to me, was that every single member of the band was visibly enjoying his time on stage. They love playing music and making people happy and it really translates to the crowd and makes the show more enjoyable. The show was amazing. Every song sounded perfect, it was the perfect balance/mix of old and new... I have NO complaints whatsoever. Oh, and then there were 2 encores... yes, TWO. The one thing I kinda wished would happen was more crowd interaction. I like it when bands talk to the audience a little in between songs here or there. Thom Yorke said one thing to us outside of a few "thank you"s, and I dont even know what it was because you can never freaking understand him anyways. But it didnt matter, theyre Radiohead. No words needed, just music. It was like an out of body experience. I got lost in it.

They NEED to release a DVD from this tour in Blu-Ray. The NEED to.

Flobots

So I just got home from seeing the Flobots and People Under the Stairs at the Middle East in Cambridge, MA...

I purposely went late because i didnt care about the first opener (Busdriver) and didnt really know enough about PUTS to really care about them. So I showed up about halfway into PUTS and they made me wish I had been there the whole time. They were AWESOME... and i feel like its really difficult for a rap act to be good live when you dont know their material. But the energy that they had really made the show. Theyve been around forever and didnt mind at all that they were opening for a relatively new group. They were just there to kick it and have a blast. I am gonna get all their stuff now and would totally go see them again. Their new album, Fun DMC, is out Sept 30th.

Flobots were also wayyy better than I expected. I really really liked their whole cd, I'm not some stupid "Handlebars" fan. (To be honest, it's one of the worst songs on the album.) They have so much energy, and it really gives you a big advantage to be playing with a live band, which is what they are. Everyone of them (there are 6 people) contributes equally, they had awesome solos... not to mention the violinist was cute (yes, shes a girl) and played amazingly. They through in a cool remix/cover of "So Happy Together" with rap verses, and the encore song was a remix/cover of "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar that the violinist girl sung, and they added rap verses. It was a great time.

Wow...

I guess I really have nothing to talk about. I always try to keep updating this with my thoughts on different shit, but it just doesnt happen. Oh well... let's try a movie review

Pineapple Express
Directed by David Gordon Green
Starring Seth Rogen & James Franco

8/10

To be honest, the movie let me down a little bit. Which is probably just because I had set my expectations so high. I wanted it to be an EPIC action-comedy that would define the generation, and I guess that was asking too much, in retrospect. Dont get me wrong, the movie is HILARIOUS... but I also wanted the plot to be perfect, like Judd Apatow movies have been. Comedies can be great just by being hilarious, but the reason Knocked Up and Superbad did so well is because they are hilarious, but also really good movies, like plot-wise. Pineapple Express didnt wow me with the storyline. I didnt get into it and feel for the characters at all... it didnt feel real. That might be because a few scenes were ridiculous and a bit (or a lot) unrealistic. I feel like I'm writing a really negative review, but I dont intend for it to be that way. I gave it an 8/10 and feel like i have to justify why it lost 2 points. On the positive side, the movie is really really REALLY funny. I was NOT under the influence of anything and enjoyed it greatly... its definitely worth paying for and laughing your ass off. Seth Rogen always does great playing normal stoner guys, and James Franco really stands out and redeems himself in this one. I didnt realize how funny he could be. I didnt really like "Red" who a lot of reviews have said steals the movie. To me, he was way overdone and the acting wasnt even that great by whoever played him. I loved Craig Robinson and Kevin Corrigan as the two badguy henchman, though. They were funny but still badass enough to be bad guys. And obviously Gary Cole does a great job playing the slimeball head badguy. So overall, the acting was there, the comedy was there, the action was even there (although it didnt really start til halfway into the movie)... its just the storyline itself and a few unrealistic scenes that screwed up the movie for me. But go see it, its worth the $10 and, while I wont pay to see it again, I definitely plan on seeing it when it comes out on dvd.

Upcomming Concerts

This is the tentative list of upcoming shows I'm going to:

8/2: State Radio at the Bank of America Pavillion
8/6: Jack Johnson at the Comcast Center
8/10: Flobots at the Middle East
8/13: Radiohead at the Comcast Center (see photo below)

9/29: Ratatat at the Paradise Rock Club

10/16: Ben Kweller at the Paradise Rock Club
10/24: The Who at the TD Banknorth Garden

11/14: Girl Talk at Showcase Live

I have a feeling that I'm gonna end up posting a lot of concert/cd/movie reviews...

First Blog Post Ever

Hello, world...

I'm new to this "blog" deal, but I'm gonna try and come on here whenever I have something to say or show, in the hopes that people will check it out. So come back later on, when I figure out something real to write about besides a stupid introduction post.