wedding mixtape

ever since diana and i started dating she has been introducing me to some different music. a couple months into our relationship we made mixtapes for each other so that we could try out a few of the bands each other liked. there were some really good ones on there, and she felt the same about the one i made for her. we were thinking about the wedding and thought it would be pretty cool to make a mixtape of all the songs that we love together, or songs that make us think of each other. we were thinking we could make a 'wedding mixtape' and give one to each of our guests as a small gift.

this weekend we finally sat down and started organizing and selecting what songs we would like to include. we made a copy of the songs for each of us and are going to listen to it for the next week or two and see if we like the picks and try to figure out what order would be the best for the songs. so far i can think of one i'd like to add, and one of mine i realized doesnt really fit in with the rest. im not going to be revealing the playlist until its finalized, though. (but dont worry, there will be at least one joy electric song!)

relient k: birds and the bee sides

wow! with each new release from the guys from relient k are raising higher and higher in my list of favorites! i had barely taken their last album, 'five score and seven years ago' out of the player, and then they released this one!
this is a single disc with two albums on it. first is a new ep titled 'nashville tennis ep' which has some really great songs on it, the best of the lot is 'the lining is silver'. they try a few different things in this group of songs, and are able to pull it all off wonderfully. the second album on the disc, called 'the bird and the bee side', is a collection of b-sides and unreleased stuff. it includes a couple of acoustic versions of previous songs as well. this side is filled with more great songs, from the silly, such as 'five iron frenzy is either dead or dying', to more experimental stuff like 'the stenographer'.
over all an incredible collection of 26 songs. im guessing it will be a year or so before this one leaves my player...

jon foreman: 4 seasons

this past fall jon foreman released a double disc single set. this past week i got the other set, completing the series of four (explained further here).

after spending some time with it, i must say that the series is quite good, if uneven. the first set, 'fall and winter', is the better of the two. its filled with songs of longing and realizations. the best of this first set is 'equally skilled' and 'learning how to die'. both capture the search and discoveries that are a part of the christian life. this first set has been a recent favorite of mine, and is the direction i had wished from switchfoot after 'beautiful letdown'.

the second set, 'spring and summer' is not as engaging. the set is filled with guest vocalists and what seems to be an almost forced variety of music. we get a whole bunch of different instrumentation, but it just doesnt feel as focused or as personal. the lyrics seem a bit awkward too, as in the song 'love isnt made', and 'baptize my mind'. its also upbeat, which is good, but its upbeat in a way that doesnt sync well with jons voice, in my opinion. but i have been accused of liking 'slow and boring' songs before, so maybe this is just my bias coming through.

gavin rossdale: wanderlust

for a while now ive been complaining any time someone would mention gwen stephani. 'why does she get all the attention? her husband is much better! why doesnt he put out any new music?' well, i guess he must have heard me, because he finally released his first solo album! a few years ago bush broke up, and gavin rossdale formed a new band called 'institute' and released a cd (which was amazing! which i review here), but since then there had been nothing.
with his solo cd he seems to be back in fine form. over all, this album is a bit on the lighter side. gavin seems to be more focused on 'light rock' this time out, which stands in stark contrast to the heavy rock of 'institute'. the album is filled with references to his new life, most songs are about family, fatherhood, and being married. some of the songs are a bit bland and forgettable, but the stand out song is definitely 'forever may you run' the chorus is instantly catchy and will roll around in your head for days.
over all i would say this is 'bush' lite- great songs, but less filling.

joy electric: my grandfather, the cubist

ah, yes. its time once again for a joy electric album! truly the happiest time of year!!! i was very excited to get this one, considering that the last album, 'the otherly opus', was their best since 'the white songbook'.
in this album ronnie has once again gone in a different direction. with his last album the focus was squarely on the vocals, which led to some beautiful layered harmonies. but this time, he shifts back to an equal weighting between vocals and music. the singing on this album is not quite as melodic and airy as his last effort, but the vocal shift is not too drastic, there was a bit stronger vocals similar to this on 'red will dye these snows of silver'. its a bit of a change, but still good.
the thing that continually impresses me about this band is its ability to write a catchy tune. as i listened to it through the first time i had a bit of a strange feeling- though it was only the first time i had ever heard them, they felt like songs i had known all my life! as i listened i wondered 'how could this have never been written before?!?' i guess that just speaks to the amazing gift ronnie has with writing a catchy melody.
the tune that immediately struck me as a favorite was 'whether by horse, or horseless'. it is a beautiful melody, and surprisingly deep lyrics. this is true of the entire album, ronnie seems to have taken his songwriting to a new level. gone are the constant references to lilly pads and gumdrops, replaced by honest critiques of love and relationships. i always loved the light hearted aspects to his lyrics before, but it is a welcome change to hear some deeper thoughts.
the pinnacle of the album is definitely the title track. the song is actually a trilogy of songs, bookended by instrumentals that echo the melody and guide us to the song and out into the bigger picture being presented.
an impressive addition to the joy electric catalogue. it will spend many many months in my cd player...

hymns?

you ever have a hankering for a type of music and you dont know why? for some reason i cant quite figure out, i have been on a hymn kick lately. the other day i was walking around walmart and was just checking out the cheesy collections cds at the front of the store. i was actually looking for a cd of irish drinking songs, but i happened upon a collection of 100 inspirational hymns, and on a whim, i bought it (it was only five bucks). i popped it in and have been totally loving it ever since. strange. i guess they just remind me of church growing up and i think i like that. i feel like im listening to my moms music or something...

nine inch nails: ghosts I-IV

recently trent reznor, the man behind 'nine inch nails', has released a bit of music exclusively from his website. i became a fan of the band a few years back with the release of the album 'fragile'. it was a double disc release of songs both loud and dense, as well as some quietly moving songs. since then he has released a couple more albums, 'with teeth' and 'year zero' (as well as a handful of live and remix albums), all of which did not live up to the scope and power of 'fragile'.

my problem with the last two albums is the different direction reznor took. what i loved most about 'fragile' was the melodic flow in the songs, but his last two albums have broken from that style and it seems that he has returned to the more bombastic and chaotic song structure, which i dont care much for.

with his newest release, 'ghosts: I-IV', the pendulum has swung all the way back... and then some! this release is 36 songs broken down into four separate eps. and here is the best part: all 36 tracks are instrumental only! now, dont get me wrong, i dig nins vocals, but this means that the focus is once again put on the music and the melody, where it belongs.

nine inch nails recently finished their contract with their record company, so he is now taking advantage of the chance to self release this album. on his website there are multiple options for getting the songs. a free option is given, but you can only get the first nine tracks. other options include one for ten bucks, one for 75 dollars, and a super duper deluxe edition for $250. amazingly, all 2500 copies of the expensive one sold out almost immediately. which, when you think about it means that he has already netted at least $750,000 dollars from this album. wow! i guess you can do just fine without a recording contract, huh?

im really digging the nine free songs and will probably opt for the ten dollar release soon. go to the site, download it (free!), and decide for yourself!

jon foreman: fall, winter

jon foreman is the lead singer of the band 'switchfoot'. i have been following the band for a few years now. i, like most people, got my first taste of them from the movie 'a walk to remember'. they had a couple songs in that movie, and i just fell in love. especially 'dare you to run'. so i really enjoyed their album 'beautiful letdown'. it was certainly beautiful, and anything but a letdown. the same cant really be said for their follow up albums though. their next record 'nothing is sound' was decent. not exactly as good as their last, but it was passable. i got their latest, 'oh! gravity', and i can honestly say ive listened to it through only once. it wasnt terrible, just very forgetable.

so, it was with trepidation that i picked up the new solo singles from the lead singer jon foreman. actually, i didnt hesitate to get it, mostly because i was at the bookstore with my mom and she was offering to buy me something. who would pass that up, huh? since then i have been giving it a try. i figured that i should take a break from my month long obsession with the second 'black lab' cd anyway

the concept is this: foreman is releasing a six song single for each season (say that five times fast!). so far he has released 'fall' and 'winter'. i saw them at the bookstore packaged together. im not entirely sure, but im assuming that the songs on each disc follow the theme of the season. i cant tell much difference between the 'fall' and 'winter' discs, but im guessing that the 'spring' and 'summer' discs will be a bit more upbeat!

i have really been enjoying the 'fall' disc so far. especially memorable is the song 'equally skilled'. all of the songs carry a melancholy feel to them. they mostly consist of just an accustic guitar and jons voice. there is an occasional stringed instrument as well as a harmonica. the songs are slow, melodic, and sad. there are some really great lines, and as a whole it stirs a longing for something. what? im not sure. but it moves the soul.

black lab

i just got some new music from black lab yesterday in the mail. black lab, if you dont remember, had a couple hits way back in 1997. they were one of the last bands that were a part of that whole grunge movement in the 90s. they had a few hits with 'wash it away' and 'time ago'. i remember first hearing them on the radio back then and digging it, but i was much more obsessed with verve pipe to be distracted by any other bands.

a couple years later at college when rex and i roomed together we would listen to their album 'your body above me' whenever we would hang out or play video games. i quickly gained a love for it as well. i never heard of them releasing a follow-up album, so i kind of forgot about them. several years later rex and i noticed a song in the movie 'blade: trinity' and really dug it. we waited through the credits to see who it was- low and behold it was black lab! eureka! they were still around! i did some investigating online and discovered that they had released a little 7 song ep called 'i feel fine'. i quickly bought a copy for myself, and one for rex.

ever since then, that little ep has kept creeping back into my cd player because its so catchy. it had some amazing songs on it like 'learn to crawl' and 'gone'.

well, last time i was home rex and i got to talking and black lab was mentioned again. it dawned on me: i should see if they have put out anything new! so i did. and they did! i was actually quite surprised by how much new stuff they had- they had a second album called 'see the sun', which features the songs from the ep, they have a third album called 'passion leaves a trace', and they have even gone back to their first album and remastered it and put in a couple new songs! wow! what a find! lucky for me they had a special deal for all three of them. so now i have three new albums to enjoy!