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!

set aside

ive been getting quite a few new cds and books over the past several months. ive also been falling victim the greatest problem with new music: buying more than one at a time! whenever i get a new cd i like to listen to it through alot so that i can begin to recognize each song, and sing along with the ones i like. if i get more than one cd at a time, this becomes almost impossible because i feel a need to switch back from one to the other, and i end up not spending enough time with either of them, and they end up on the cd shelf, never to enter my rotation again.

most of my recent purchases have fallen into that unfortunate category. but here is the thing: im not concerned. what seems to happen with me is that it will tell me when im ready for it. ive had this happen many times. ill receive or buy a book/cd/movie that for one reason or another i just shelve it. a while later, could be a month, could be a couple years, i suddenly have an urge to listen to a cd, or read a book thats been collecting dust since the mid 90s. and when i do finally get around to checking it out, i find that it has been waiting for me to be ready for it. a cd whose message now speaks to my situation, a book that ties into an understanding i am now ready for, or a movie that now shows truth in a way i can see.

so, as i set aside neglected stuff today, i eagerly wait for the time when it awakens and calls to me for my time to discover it anew.

the latest batch

this afternoon i happened to find myself in a kregel christian bookstore. i milled around for a while. i was mostly checking to see if any of the bands i like have released any new stuff. nope. so i just started perusing the shelves for anything else that might catch my eye. i noticed a cd that was only five bucks! it looked decent, so i took it to one of the listening stations (they have a place where you can just scan the barcode and it will pop up on the screen and you can listen to it). much to my surprise, it was actually pretty cool! the cd was by a band called 'leeland'.

i figured i should see if there are any other good deals for bands ive never heard of. turns out there was! another five dollar cd that sounded rather cool was a band called 'everyday sunday'. so, i picked up a couple of theirs as well.

the search continued. i also found a deluxe version of the last 'audio adrenaline' album. i was really into them about 6 years ago, and they recently broke up, so i figured it might be worth checking out. its the cd as well as a dvd of the history of the band and all of their music videos as well. not bad. also, i happened upon an album from 'the normals', which was the former band of my personal favorite andrew osenga. i already have a copy of the cd, but its so darn good, that im sure i can find someone who will dig it too and i can give it to them. oh, and i got a little giftypoo for a friend...

not a bad haul, huh?

arcade fire: funeral

last thursday my brother surprised me and bought a cd for me online. he had it shipped to me instead of him. he didnt tell me he was going to do it. how cool is that?

he sent me the first album from arcade fire titled 'funeral'. ive only had a chance to listen to it once, but i think i dig it. its totally my brothers kind of music, but ive always enjoyed his musical tastes. he is the one who introduced me to morrissey, so i owe him.

i thought this was such a cool idea, to order a cd and ship it to someone with out telling them. just kind of like a 'hey, i dig this, you should too!' i think im going to have to try this with the stuff i like...

joy electric

the new joy electric album came out a while ago. but i have not yet written about it. the reason is this: i have a very hard time writing about joy electric.

have you ever had something that makes you happy and your not entirely sure why? have you ever had something that you adore, but you just cant explain what about it attracts you? have you ever felt passionately about something that most people around you would dismiss as stupid? well, this is my relationship with the music of joy electric. ever since i first heard their music as a freshman at dordt college, i was entranced. its hold on me has not lessened, in fact its gotten tighter and tighter with each consecutive album released.

i dont know why i love their music so much, it is certainly a strange obsession. their music, to say the least, is obtuse. its not my typical music scene. thats what makes the attraction so much more uneplainable.

i could regail you with details about the newest album 'the otherly opus', i could tell you that it is a masterwork, that ronnie martin has finally made the perfect compainion album to go with 'the white songbook', i could tell you that these two albums together make up what i expect to be the soundtrack of heaven. but i dont think many would care. i realize that joy electric is my obsession, and im ok with keeping to myself.

but i may ask you to give it a chance if you want to bum a ride in my car where this cd is constantly playing.

what is good music?

the other day i came across this article which posses a question about recognizing fine art. its a pretty cool social experiment- a world renowned violinist, joshua bell, plays his best music in a train station as commuters head off to their offices. would anyone notice the world class music, or would they pass it by and not even recognize it for what it is?

the article explains the set up and the results of performing such an experiement. it is a long article, but incredibly interesting. it reminded me of a very important lesson: stop and smell the roses (or, in this case, stop and hear the music).

new joy electric song!!!

last night i finally got to go to the joy electric myspace site and hear the new song 'red will dye snows of silver' from their upcoming 'the otherly opus'. about all i could get myself to say (besides girly shreeks of glee) was 'wow.'
it is very different than what he has done in the past, typically his music is very melody focused, with little or no bass or strong beat. also, the vocals have always been secondary. ronnie martin himself has said that he is not a singer, he only does enough to service the song. it seems that he has gone a very different direction for this song, and hopefully the whole ablum. there is a shift to focusing more on what can be done with vocals- and it sounds fantastic!
on his blog he has stated how rough of a process this album was to make, but the last time he said that was about 'the white songbook' which i would consider his best. so, maybe his frustration means we will be getting another masterpiece from the master of the moog!

the otherly opus

This is the cover art for the new joy electric album. it comes out march 20. ive always loved the covers they have for their albums, they are always interesting, yet simple. i think this one is just plain beautiful. i cant wait for the album itself!!!

a strange playlist

im finding some interesting changes in my listening choices since i got an mp3 player. im still in the process of converting all my cds onto it (mostly because i keep forgetting to bring my cds with me when i go online) but ive got a good collection of about a thousand songs on it so far.
the big change ive been noticing is that ive been listening to a lot larger variety of music. yesterday i was cleaning around the house listening to my player. i started off with a little joy electric, then i moved on to our lady peace, then i sang along to jonny cash, which brought me to nirvana, and that oddly lead me to the prince of egypt soundtrack, which of course flows directly into the beauty and the beast soundtrack, and the listening session finally ended with a bit of radiohead. does it get much weirder than that?
i totally love the freedom to switch between my whole collection, but its also really wierd...

a new world awaits!

this past summer my parents bought me an mp3 player for my birthday. it was a really cool gift and i was very excited about it. the problem was that at the time i didnt have a computer and so there was really no way for me to use it! so, with there blessing, i brought it back and just set the money aside for a later time.
well, this weekend the time came. yesterday i went out and joined the digital age and bought a computer. i still had that extra cash sitting around, so i decided to buy an mp3 player too! i didnt exactly know what i wanted, but i knew i didnt want an ipod. i know they are supposed to be the coolest thing and all that, but it just seems like they are more style than substance. so, instead i got a sansa. ive been told that they are pretty decent quality, and the one that they had at the store was an amazing deal. i got a 6 gig for cheaper than a 2 gig ipod.
i have been spending the weekend playing with my new computer and this new mp3 player (oh, it does videos too, but i havent figured out how to do that stuff yet...) and now im starting to see why everyone loves these things so much! im in the process of loading my cd collection on it. i think im really going to test its limits as far as storage goes! ive already got about 4oo songs on it!

sufjan stevens

i never have, nor ever will consider myself a 'hipster' when it comes to music. but i try to at least keep in the loop with who is getting a lot of buzz. ive been hearing about this guy a lot for the past six months or so, but ive never been able to actually hear his music.
well, yesterday i finally did. and i have to ask: whats the big deal? i listened to his illinois album and didnt really care for it. he has an amazing voice, which i loved, but heres the problem: the music is very eclectic. that is usually a good thing, but from what i listened to (about the first half of the album twice) its too eclectic. its all over the place. now, i understand what hes going for here, hes trying to incorporate all the music that is a part of the state and trying to tie it all in to have an authentic representation of the culture that is illinois. i get that part, but im not interested. i like an album with an eclectic feel, but this one seems to have every eclectic feel it can strong-arm into one disc. the way i typically listen to music is by poping in a cd and listening straight through. i dont like 'shuffle', and i rarely like compilation cds. i like albums that have a unified sound. they dont all have to have the same tempo or volume, but i like it when the artist uses the same aural language through out. with this album each song sounded completely different (except that they all sounded like he was trying too hard to be strange). one song would be just woodwinds, the next would have a xylephone and bells, the next would have drums and guitars. i dont know, maybe my musical tastes are a bit more restricted than i thought, but i wont be jumping on the sufjan bandwagan anytime soon. i guess i will remain 'unhip'.

andrew osenga

oh, where to begin? lets try the beginning... (this is going to be a long one) music is a powerful thing. it can change a mood, it can shape an experience, it can altar a way of thinking. some music i listen to is just for the good tunes and the catchy lyrics to keep my mind busy while driving or hanging out, bands like joy electric would fit that role for me. but then there is another side to music; the side that challenges me and challenges my mind and heart. for that i go to andrew osenga.
here's the story: back in college i used to get free stuff from forefront records (i have no idea how i pulled of that scam, but i got a few good cds out of the deal), one of the cds i got was called 'better than this' by a band called 'the normals'. i gave it a spin, but wasn't very impressed. i pushed it off to the side and instead listened to the skillet cd i got. my college buddy bob asked if he could borrow it. sure, so he did. after a week or two he kept talking about that cd and how great it was. just to shut him up, i told him i would give it another try. i did. slowly the songs got to me and seeped into my head. they were catchy and deep, definitely a rarity in christian music at the time.
as leaders on dordt's campus, bob and i were in charge of planning some student activities. we used our pull to convince the people in charge that we should invite the normals to come and perform at our college. and it worked! mostly it was a ploy to meet the guys and hear them live. they guys were as cool as i could have hoped for, and i got to meet the lead singer, named andrew osenga.
after a time i heard that they were releasing a second album, and bob and i got really excited. when it arrived (miraculously free, again) i was blown away by the change in sound. their album 'coming to life' was one of the richest, deepest, most lyrically challenging album i had heard up until that point. i thought it put their first record to shame with the leaps and bounds of musical growth evident on the new record. oddly enough, bob disagreed and soon lost interest in the band. me, on the other hand, i was obsessed! again, i pulled a few strings, and arranged for the band to come to our college the next year. this time, it was even better, they were the headliners, their lineup had changed a bit, and they were now able to create that full lush sound in concert. (one of the highlights for me, which i had never seen done before: there was a part of one of the songs where the guitarists put their guitars up to their faces and yelled into them to create a stunningly haunting and beautiful sound) they must have made other fans as well, because the following year, at which point i was no longer involved with planning events, they were asked back for a third year in a row! (at that concert andy announced 'we have decided that we are now the official band of dordt college!')
eventually the band released a third album. by this time i was out of college and living on my own far from anyone i knew. because of this fact, their next album became a very important one to me. its title 'a place where you belong' became a safe place in the storm i was going through. i was entering a new chapter in my life, beginning a job in the working world, in a new place on my own, and not knowing anyone. the song 'ill be home soon' helped me make it through many long and lonely weeks. it became a bit of an anthem for me.
then i heard the bad news. the normals had split up. i was crushed.
but soon after i found out that andrew osenga was going to continue writing and recording on his own. i have been following him ever since, and each release has been better than the last. he has since put out a full length release, 'photographs', and a short release called 'souvenirs and postcards'. now, he has just released his latest self-produced album 'the morning.' i haven't heard it yet, but i know it will be filled with truth, depth, and beautiful music.
if you have any interest in andrew, or his music, check out his website, or check out a few songs you can listen to for free.

third eye blink

ive been digging out some of my older cds. mostly mid/late 90s stuff. i pulled out this cd by 'third eye blind' and gave it a spin. wow. i had forgotten how many great songs this album has on it! i am almost ashamed to admit this thought, because i remember my friends and i making fun of people who liked this band. but i think i am going to officially chance my opinion on these guys. i dont really remember them having any more hits after this album (but thats ok, because this album had about 5 #1 hits on it), they burned bright, but burned out fast. maybe i will have to hit up the used cd shop and fish out some of their other stuff, see if there might be some undiscovered gems.

jars of clay

i have a strange pattern with liking albums by jars of clay. i, like the rest of america, quickly fell in love with their first cd (for most, thats where the interest ended, but i have kept up with them since then). when there second cd came out, called 'much afraid', i absolutely hated it. my parents bought it for me and i ended up just giving it to a friend after about my second listen. i was totally disappointed. then their third one came out, 'if i left the zoo', and i started to really dig 'much afraid'. since then, this unique pattern has emerged: i like a jars of clay album after the next one comes out. i started to like 'zoo' when '11th hour' came out. i didnt like '11th' until 'who we are instead' came out. i didnt really listen to 'instead' until 'redemption songs' came out. and i dont much care for 'redemption songs'. maybe i should just wait until their next one comes out.

what to do?

im debating whether or not to pick this one up. i actually enjoy morrisseys music quite a bit. my brother introduced me to him many years ago. i was never interested in the smiths, but i rather like his solo work. i was introduced through the album 'maladjusted' and have picked up a few older ones since. i really liked his last one 'you are the querry' but i hardly ever listen to it. i figure this cd will be the same; ill listen to it for a few weeks then put it aside quickly. is it worth the money or not?

those crazy monkeys!

i was over at aarons the other day and we were talking about a song that was on the radio last time we hung out. neither of us had heard it before but we both really liked it. he figured out what it was: DARE by the gorillaz. cool! they just keep surprising me with how cool their stuff is. i have their first album, but im thinking i should pick up their new one...

Marty Casey

last week i got a new cd. i havent gotten a new cd in a while (mostly because i never listen to the radio, so i never get suckered into buying the crap they are playing). last year i was drawn in by rockstar: inxs. i cant defend myself, i know it was really stupid, but i liked it- it was better than american idol at least...
anyway, i really liked one of the singers on there: marty casey. he made it to the last two, but was not chosen the winner. i was mad, but then i thought about it- the person who wins has to sign a contract to sing for inxs. how is that winning? marty got the best deal, he got all the exposure, but he could go back and play with is own band. they even got invited to open for inxs on their world tour.
i got the marty casey cd and the song that he sang a few times, 'trees', is on it. i really digged that song alot. ive only gotten a chance to listen to it through a few times, but it seems cool. its alot more rock than i was expecting, i thought it would be a bit more popish. ill have to listen to it some more to give an accurate review.

sorry...

in a moment of weakness, i must confess. im thinking i might want to pick up that kelly clarkson cd. im sorry. let us never speak of this again.