Damon Albarn can devote himself to Gorillaz all he wants, but he will always be, above all, the frontman of Blur, the pioneer of Britpop, and the inciter of music envy amongst his peers (read: Gallagher brothers). When Blur reunited for that brief and glorious summer back in 2009, there was concern from critics and fans alike over whether or not Blur could ever really be what it was before and if the assemblage of this Colchester quartet was merely an exiguously put together media ploy to distract from the fact that everyone in the band except Damon could probably use an extra pence or two.

They were twentieth century boys

With the release of No Distance Left to Run in mid-February, a two-disc chronicle of their ephemeral reunion, Blur may both be delighting and disappointing fans because, while it is a chance to see the most candid portrait of the band since Starshaped (documenting the grueling touring schedule that took place from 1991 to 1994 in promotion of the albums Leisure and Modern Life is Rubbish), it is also a fairly overt indication that there is little hope of any further collaborations. Another augury of the band’s definitive culmination was the release of Midlife: A Beginner’s Guide to Blur in the posthaste of their 2009 concert frenzy.

They need something to remind them that there's something else

The documentary itself (a far too short ninety-eight minutes) is more riveting than the concert performance footage, which includes all of their hits, even “Country House” (probably to Graham’s chagrin), and captures a certain amount of the same roguish wit and charm preexisting Blur’s post-Parklife phase. Wasting no time in capitalizing on their fans’ Britpop nostalgia, Blur opened their July 2 show in Hyde Park with their first single “She’s So High” (a song that’s worth getting married for, just so you can have it played at your wedding). From there, Modern Life is Rubbish and Parklife seem to be the favored albums, with six songs (“Oily Water,” “Chemical World,” “Sunday Sunday,” “Popscene,” “Advert,” and “For Tomorrow”) performed from the 1993 shifter of music paradigms and eight songs (“Girls & Boys,” “Tracy Jacks,” “Jubilee,” “Badhead,” “Parklife,” “To The End,” “End of a Century,” and “This is a Low”) performed from the 1994 offering that yielded the battle of the Britpop bands.

You've turned us all old and wizened

The closing song of the show, 1995′s “The Universal,” is rather appropriate considering the lyrics to the chorus: “It really, really, really could happen.” Britain’s continued admiration for Blur and the rejoining of the band for a momentary occasion fits in nicely with that line, since no one ever thought that it could happen after all the differences and the squabbles. And they didn’t totally dash our hopes for another limited engagement by ending the concert with “Death of a Party.” So maybe the film’s title No Distance Left to Run is more misleading than meets the eye. Because the band clearly still shares a strong affinity and exudes just as much magnetism as before.

Since 1984, Bon Jovi has graced the music world with songs that make women tear off their clothes, jump like fools and pump their fists.   Since 1984…

With 26 years and an extensive discography under their southerly clad belts, one would hope a Bon Jovi set list would be filled with these exciting, fist pumping songs. Oh, on contrary my friends.

Dashboard Confessional opened and the people behind me demanded that I sit down before I actually arrived to my seat.  I didn’t want to break it to them, but once Bon Jovi got on stage, I had no intentions to sit down. NONE!  I used to listen to Dashboard during my lonely and depressed high school years; so taking my seat for them would be fine.  Sadly though, this incident AND the band foreshadowed the actions AND feelings the rest of the night would bring.  But at the time, I had high expectations for Bon Jovi and knew/thought they would lift my spirits.

However, opening with “Blood on Blood” and “We Weren’t Born to Follow” brought only a scattered bunch to their feet.  Until “Bad Name” started, finally the soccer moms stood up and screamed desperately for Richie Sambora‘s flat-ironed hair and plastic face to play to them.  I felt elated and just knew that things would continue with the upbeat pace.

But then they quickly reverted with six new songs in a row (sit down) then “It’s My Life” (stand up) and a cover of “Hallelujah” (sit down) originally sung by Leonard Cohen.  If you don’t know that song, pour yourself a bottle of wine, download the Jeff Buckley version and brace yourself for tears.  Why Bon Jovi decided to sing that at a 20k person venue that wasn’t there to raise money for Haiti is beyond me.

It felt like Catholic Church. And after a fistful of acoustic hymn-type tunes and Jon Bon jumping up and down with a tambourine, my friends and I chose to flee.

Forty five minutes after our departure while discussing not the concert but our daily sins at a nearby Denny’s, a friend posted on Twitter that they finally sang “Wanted Dead or Alive” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” for the encore.  The charm of an encore has clearly been forgotten, Mr. Jovi.  You don’t make people stay for the encore.  You make them stay because they WANT TO STAY through the blessed joys of unison praise to hits, one after another. The encore is for shock value, leaving a surprise for the end.  NOT YOUR TWO BIGGEST HITS, YOU PRICKS.

As we walked out, I took note of a snippet of lyrics that  summarized my emotional and physical feelings: Give something for the pain, something for the blues, something to get me through the night.

A turkey melt, seasoned fries and a prayer before bedtime did that for me.  Not Bon Jovi, and not the nostalgia that utterly lacked at HP Pavilion.

My thoughts exactly!

uhhhh

One of music’s most prolific and infamous bands, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, releases its eleventh full-length album this week, Who Killed Sgt. Pepper? BJM, the band that was half of the focal point of the amazing 2004 documentary DiG! (along with the Dandy Warhols), has always had a revolving door of members, led by embittered and eccentric multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/genius Anton Newcombe. Due to his challenging personality and ego-centrism (as highlighted in DiG!), Newcombe’s band has gone through so many lineup changes it’s amazing that those who have stuck around continue to do so.

This new disc, Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?, comes on the heels of 2008’s My Bloody Underground, and is a remarkable achievement, honestly. BJM always tries to venture out to new musical landscapes, and with the new album Anton & Friends have really set out to create something visionary and, well, incredible.

The album was recorded in Iceland and Berlin, features vocals by a singer named Unnur Andrea Einarsdottir, and is just as weird as those circumstances suggest. The album also marks the return to the BJM ranks of Matt Hollywood, the guitarist/vocalist who is highlighted at length in DiG!. I saw BJM at Coachella last year, and Hollywood was a part of the band that was on stage, which marked his return to the fold.

The album starts out with Tempo 116.7 (Reaching for Levels of Dangerous Sobriety), an Eastern-inspired instrumental piece whose danceable rhythms and beat set the stage for what is to come. Tunger Hnifur (huh?), the next track, includes some fuzzy intelligible vocals and vibe that makes it seem like an attempt to copy and/or mimic the style of snotty Brit Pop groups like Oasis and Blur (which BJM imitated amazingly with the album Give It Back). The Brit Pop comparisons continue with Let’s Go Fucking Mental, which starts out with a raucous soccer chant and a propulsive bass-driven beat. The doesn’t sound unlike the sort of dance-punk-synth stuff that bands like Kasabian are known for, but when Newcombe sings lyrics like “Magic song that I wrote for you, you can sing along ‘cause the words are true. Sing it in the morning, sing it in the day, sing it in the evening, sing it every way” in a British accent the whole thing sounds like he’s poking fun at the overall sound.

BJM, Simpsonized

This Is the First of Your Last Warnings (Icelandic Version) has more dance beats and atmospheric keyboard noises, as well as Icelandic vocals by Unnur Andrea Einarsdottir, which make the song really weird and eccentric (how appropriate). The rhythms come together to make the song one of those tunes that grabs you and makes you bob your head while getting lost in the beats. The Icelandic vocals add to the song remarkably well, adding some delicious melodies and grooves to the whole thing. It’s simply breathtaking, a long song that never lets up.

According to various posts on the Internet about this album, BJM was aided by “a variety of international musicians” on this set, and that’s what I assume led to the almost world music-feeling to the record. This is not an indie rock album, this is an eclectic, non-classifiable hybrid of ideas and musical concepts that work together amazingly well.

Anton, the man behind the madness

This Is The One Thing We Did Not Want To Have Happen, the 7-minute jam that comes after the Icelandic song, is more of the same, with the same type of hypnotic pace and rhythm that continues the sonic journey laid forth by the album. I imagine the album is even more intoxicating under the influence of some hallucinogenic mind-altering drugs, as the music is already insane anyway.

Someplace Else Unknown returns to the Kasabian-esque space noises and mindfuck beats that take a long time to get going before Newcombe then sings about Jesus and drugs and death threats and World War 2 and the like. Yeah, it makes total sense.

Detka! Detka! Detka! then comes along and completely breaks up the dance-y Britpop feel by throwing in some bizarre world music sung in another language (Russian?) that is almost frightening in its strangeness.

The rest of the record follows suit, continuing the bizarre odyssey into Newcombe’s mind that ends with Felt Tipped Pictures of UFOs, a “song” that actually references the title (whereas I had thought it was just more random nonsense thrown into the song title) WHILE at the same time featuring sound bytes of a Scottish (?) woman ranting about John Lennon and Lennon himself discussing his “Beatles are bigger than Jesus” statements. I’m so confused.

Who Killed Sgt. Pepper? is simply mind-blowing. I understand it as a look into Newcombe’s soul, which apparently is overcome with with Icelandic singers and yelling and space noises and drug-induced confusion at every turn. Listening to it all the way through is just as mesmerizing.

So yeah, if you’re into this sort of freakout, psychedelic Brit Pop influenced world music, check out this album, as BJM has really created something quite astonishing.

I’ll leave you with this video of BJM playing at Coachella last year, for your enjoyment.

There is a trend among people who rise to the top too quickly: Their metaphorical wick tends to burn out faster and with a slightly more pathetic than usual flicker. Whether it’s because of the constant pressure to produce material or the unrealistic expectations of managers, studios, and fans, the “stars” and “auteurs” who achieve success from the get-go do not appear as determined to hang on to their integrity. My case in point is one, Tim Burton, who, with his unquestionable creativity and inventiveness during the infancy of his career, drew the attention of notable names like Griffin Dunne and Paul Reubens in the early eighties with his offbeat projects, Vincent and Frankenweenie.

Burton: Maestro of the Macabre

After directing Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, the door to Hollywood was wide open to Burton and he barreled through without ever looking back to the imagination of his former self, the aspiring demiurge who attended Cal Arts and passed the dull days in Burbank by concocting demented visions in his mind. His imaginitiveness remained intact for his next two film projects, Beetlejuice and Batman, even if it was the inception of Burton’s perverse pattern of remakes and rip-offs. But then, in 1990, it looked as though the original Burton was making a comeback with what is, in my opinion, the zenith of his work, Edward Scissorhands.

Tim Burton and his frequent muse, Johnny Depp

The film was an incontrovertible triumph for Burton, who was able to secure his childhood obsession, Vincent Price, in the role of the inventor. After the critical acclaim garnered by Edward Scissorhands, Warner Brothers, now somewhat more trusting of Burton’s abilities, granted him total control of the sequel to Batman, Batman Returns. Perhaps innovative by nineties standards, Christopher Nolan later proved himself to be the best director of the Batman series. Once Burton had cashed in on Batman, he returned (maybe guiltily) to his smaller scale roots with The Nightmare Before Christmas, his very last totally original effort. Following the animated phantasmagoria of Nightmare, Burton churned out adaptations and derivations consistently, including Ed Wood, James and the Giant Peach, Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and imminently, Alice in Wonderland. The sole work out of the past seventeen years created by Burton being Corpse Bride, a mere imitation of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Farewell to the singular mind: Burton's last truly original work was 1993's The Nightmare Before Christmans

All of this begs the question: Where the hell has Burton’s sense of ingenuity disappeared to? Was the last of it stolen by the ghost of Lewis Carroll or is Burton simply contented with the money he gets out of being Hollywood’s go-to director for “weird” movies? While Burton’s body of work is still something to be proud of regardless of being utterly devoid of his own ideas, I’m not sure there is any hope of him ever returning to the purely unprecedented and unconventional nature of his early films.

In the Christian tradition, there exists a time each year when you have to give up your favorite thing for 40 days. This time is called Lent, and it’s basically the opposite of Christmas. The purpose of giving up what you like most is to increase your spirituality. While I’m not entirely sure how not texting people gets you one step closer to Heaven, the theory intrigues me. Thus, I present to you, my list of things you can give up for Lent.

Toilet Paper

Ever wipe your ass with sticks and leaves?

It’s the little things in life that are actually our favorite things, though we don’t always recognize it. Small things make a world of difference, and toilet paper is one of those things that I just would not want to live without. I might spend all day in front of my computer, but if someone asked to choose between the internet and toilet paper…well, I can’t wipe my ass with my keyboard.  (Or at least, I wouldn’t want to.)

Sense of Security

You might not realize it, but your sense of security is exceedingly important to living a mentally stable life. This, of course, makes it a perfect candidate for something to give up.  To accomplish this, simply don’t lock your doors. Not knowing whether your car will be stolen or your house will be robbed will teach you to appreciate that sense of security. If that’s not enough, you can spend time in alleys or hang out with people of questionable origin.

Your Organs

Giving up your organs for Lent actually accomplishes multiple things. Not only are you giving up something extremely important to you, but you’re also helping someone else. This is a double win spiritually, and might be an auto-Heaven. (An auto-Heaven is when you’ve done something so good, you automatically go to Heaven. The opposite would be an auto-Hell.) That being said, you should probably not give up any vital organs.

Contraceptives

The best invention of all time.

When I write guides, I always try to list things in order of significance. The choice between organs and contraceptives was a difficult one, but really, I’d rather lose a kidney than gain a baby. There are two options for this. You can either stop using things that prevent pregnancy (birth control pills, etc), or you can stop using condoms. Obviously, not using condoms is much, much worse since you risk the chance of STDs.

Jesus

Finally, for the truly hardcore, you can give up Jesus. If you are a Christian, there should be nothing you love more in life than Jesus, and so to give him up is truly the greatest sacrifice. You might think this is counter-productive to trying to increase your spirituality, but you’d be wrong. After all, can you really understand the grace of the Lord until you’ve stopped basking in his glory? I think not.

Some people still remember the much beloved number one single from 1963 by sugary sweet teen soloist-cum-lesbian Lesley Gore. Thinking about how classic the song is considered, I wondered if it would fare as well in the music market of 2002, or would it have to be altered to accommodate more modern, and well, more crude tastes? Why 2002? It’s such an arbitrary year–but it’s not. That’s the year I pinpoint the true death of decent mainstream music. If my pop to rap conversion sensibilities are correct, the lyrics would be transformed from this:

It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to/Cry if I want to/Cry if I want to/You would cry too if it happened to you/Nobody knows where my Johnny has gone/Judy left the same time/Why was he holding her hand?/When he’s supposed to be mine/It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to/Cry if I want to, cry if I want to/You would cry too if it happened to you/Playin’ my records, keep dancin’ all night/Leave me alone for a while/’Till Johnny’s dancin’ with me/I’ve got no reason to smile/It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to/Cry if I want to, cry if I want to/You would cry too if it happened to you/Judy and Johnny just walked through the door/Like a queen with her king/Oh what a birthday surprise/Judy’s wearin’ his ring/It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to/Cry if I want to, cry if I want to/You would cry too if it happened to you.

…to the far more lewd and inappropriate rap version:

It’s my motherfuckin party and I’ll motherfuckin cry if I goddamn want to you stupid bitches/Cry if I fuckin want to/Cry if I fuckin want to/You twat, you would cry too if it fuckin happened to you/Nobody knows where that asshole Johnny has gone/That slut Judy left at the same time/Why was he holding her fuckin fake tanned hand?/When that horny felch loving bastard is supposed to be mine?/It’s my motherfuckin party and I’ll motherfuckin cry if I goddamn want to you stupid bitches/Cry if I fuckin want to/Cry if I fuckin want to/You twat, you would cry too if it fuckin happened to you/Playin’ the shit songs on my iPod, keep scorchin the motherfuckin dancefloor/Leave me the fuck alone for awhile/’Til that diseased dick of Johnny’s is inside of me/I’ve got no goddamn reason to smile/It’s my motherfuckin party and I’ll motherfuckin cry if I goddamn want to you stupid bitches/Cry if I fucking want to/Cry if I fucking want to/You twat, you would cry too if it fucking happened to you/Judy and Johnny just walked through the motherfuckin door/Like a queen bitch and her impotent king/Oh what a fuckin birthday surprise/Judy’s given him a cock ring/It’s my motherfuckin party and I’ll motherfuckin cry if I goddamn want to you stupid bitches/Cry if I fuckin want to/Cry if I fuckin want to/You twat, you would cry too if it fuckin happened to you.

If Lesley Gore’s not too busy, she should remake the song as a statement on how censorship in the sixties wasn’t necessarily an impediment, more like a forced mechanism for creatively wholesome lyricism.

My latest interviewee has been heard with the likes of Q-Tip, will.i.am, Sergio Mendes, Sa-Ra, Ricky Martin and more; with her sultry, seductive voice with a gorgeous look to match. Shining bright like the name suggests, Debi Nova had me at hello when we got together recently to talk about life in Los Angeles, what’s next for the young songstress, and the answer to the question of just how sexy Ricky Martin actually is. Join me?

Flak: Hey Debi! How are you?

Debi Nova: Good! And how are you?

F: I’m doing quite well actually. It’s a nice day today. Are you in LA today?

DN: I am in LA, did you say you were in LA too?

F: Yeah I am.

DN: Nice! So you’re enjoying the beautiful weather…

Several lines of our cute small talk later…

F: So tell me what’s going on, I’ve been looking up what you’ve been up to, and I’m very impressed; and I’m happy you’re in the music game right now.

DN: Oh well thank you so much! Yeah I’m really excited to put out this record, which I think will come out at the end of April and… well I don’t know if you’ve heard any of it but it’s basically a combination of songs that I’ve written over the years, and it’s partly in Spanish; because I’m from Costa Rica. And I guess that’s what’s major about the album; combining those languages and… I’m excited!

F: Yeah I’ve heard parts of it actually. Drummer Boy, one of my favorite songs…. And I don’t know if I’m pronouncing this right but Cora… Corazon Abierto?

Post her laughing at my feeble attempt at Spanish

DN: Heh yeah Corazon Abierto!

F: Yeah…I’m working on it… but I love the guitar in that song. That song is amazing!

DN: Thank you thank you! That’s the idea, and I think that one of my goals for this album is that some people will learn some Spanish words you know? That would be really cool!

F: Yeah I think that would be cool too; especially in Los Angeles…it’s very Spanglish, and I’m still working on it myself. I keep telling myself I’m gonna learn…

DN: Yeah and it’s good if you live in LA!

F: So tell me, what’s your favorite song on the album? That track that everyone should be looking out for?

DN: Well I love all of them but hmmm… I really love all of them like they were my children but… I think the last song was very special to me because I wrote it at a time when I was a little bit disappointed with where my life was going and its song that means Get out of me…you know, my fears, and I really wanted to get them out of me.

F: And that song is called Get Out of Me?

DN: Well Leave Me…would be a better translation actually. Yeah Leave Me.

F: Awesome. And I’ve been looking at all the people who you’ve worked with, like Q-Tip, Will.I.Am, Illa J… the most interesting though, and the one that shocked me when I realized it, and I didn’t realize until a little before we did this interview, was that you worked with Sa-Ra (aka Sa-Ra Creative Partners), who are one of my favorite artists. I mean those guys are awesome!

DN: I did! And that was amazing because they’re…as you know they’re very special…they’re on their own…

F: Planet! Exactly!

DN: Yeah! And I was so fortunate to meet them! We were in the studio in downtown LA actually; at a house slash studio and it was just a very creative space, and for a while, I just loved to go there and get inspired and I remember I got there one day and Herbie Hancock just happened to be there..

F: Whaaaat?!

DN: Yeah! So yeah they were just really interesting and really inspiring guys to be around. All three of them and really deep into music and jazz…and were just really really interesting characters. And yeah they’re my friends and we did this thing called (I thought she was saying Space Street) Spacefruit.

I believe she was referring to the first track on the latest Sa-Ra album, which I reviewed several times.

F: So did you challenge Herbie Hancock to piano battles?

DN: Heh, I basically sat in a corner; star struck and trying to act cool, and shook his hand at the end of the session but ummm.. but it was a really nice treat for me actually.

F: That’s awesome. But a lot of lady friends were asking me, how sexy is Ricky Martin to dance with in person?

DN: VERY! VERY VERY SEXY!

F: They watched videos of you guys dancing saying “she’s the luckiest girl on the planet!”

DN: Well I have to say, my job did not suck, that’s for sure.  I really enjoyed working with him, and besides the, you know physical parts of it, he’s also a wonderful person so that was also great; working with somebody who’s nice, humble, and a super human being.

F: How long have you lived in LA now?

DN: I’ve been here for about mmmm…seven years.

F: And you moved here when you were 16?

DN: Oh I moved here when I was 17. Right after high school.

Do the math gentleman. She may be the one for you! Actually, no matter what your age, she’s the one for anybody…

F: And also you went to the Los Angeles Music Academy correct?

DN: I did. I went there for a year, for singing and playing piano as well.

F: I also read that you play guitar, piano, bass, and a couple other things as well? What’s your favorite?

DN: Well piano is definitely my first love, because I’ve played piano since I was very very young… Four years old and so piano is my favorite just because I know it so well.

F: Aww I was hoping you’d say bass…I’m a bass player myself. But that’s ok. *tears*

DN: Well wait! The truth is, I started playing bass, and I think it’s the coolest instrument in the world…

F: It is!

DN:  Well it’s…it’s cool because it’s not only holding down the rhythm…I know drums hold rhythm, but really bass is the pillar I think of a good band.

What a sport. She tried to ease the blow.

F: Well I’m glad we have an understanding of that!

DN: HAHA! We do!

F: Alright alright… so of all the people….you’ve worked with a lot of random people who’ve toured the world doing sold out crowds… but who do you want to work with next over the next couple years?

DN: Oh…well I have a long list, but I would have to say at the top of my list would have to be Sting… another bass player… I’m just the biggest fan…

F: Oh I’m a huge fan as well…

DN: …yeah and he and I are label mates so maybe one day my dream will come true and I will work with Sting.

F: Yeah, and honestly, all it takes is a phone call, and you’re already have the in… you’re already on the label…so that’s better than what I’m working with.

DN: Heh I really hope so, cause I’m a big fan…but I don’t know if I’d be able to sustain my cool with him you know?  But I’m going to try for sure.

F: Wonderful!  Well I only have a couple more questions for you… have you ever been to the Coachella Music Festival before?

DN: I did! I’ve been there twice. I actually went last year.

F: Yeah me too…I didn’t see you there unfortunately.

DN: Heh it was really nice there.

F: Are you going again this year?

DN: I don’t think so. I don’t think my schedule will let me. But I would love to go. I actually just saw the lineup. Whose playing? Jay-Z…

F: The Gorillaz…

We went on at lengths about various artists we want to see, and the overall badass-ness of Coachella.

F: And so what about a tour for you? I just realized that Coachella is in April, the same month as your album, so it will be busy for you.

DN: I think that right now we’re just going to be doing promo for the album, and also we’ve been talking about a fall tour in maybe September-October. Although…. I just heard that we’ll possibly do the Lilith Fair… So I want to be able to perform in a couple of those (dates). That would be amazing.

F: That would be amazing and I’m hoping for that for you.

DN: Thank you!

F: Well that’s all I’ve got for you today, and hopefully when you guys do the tour we can come out and meet you and the band, and see everything you’ve been working on.

DN: Cool yeah we have some time so I’m sure we can do it.

F: Well thank you VERY much for talking to us today.

DN: No problem, thank you so much!

And there you have it kids. The alarming and disarming Debi Nova. If you haven’t already, check out her tunes on her MySpace and feel the Latin love right along with me. Shes also got her new video for my favorite song, Drummer Boy, so don’t forget to check it out!

Until next time my friends,

~Flak

feel it, bro

Tom DeLonge has a lot of love in his heart. Why else would he release Angels & Airwaves’ new album Love for free? Thankfully for him, the album doesn’t set itself up for “good thing it was free, it’s not worth any money anyway”-type jokes that would otherwise plague some of its reviews.

Angels & Airwaves has always been DeLonge’s “serious” project, quite the opposite from his days in Blink-182. Trading in poop and sex jokes and tongue-in-cheek pop punk tunes for lush orchestrations and over-the-top guitar effects, DeLonge has had to endure some criticisms of this sweeping, creatively excessive project. It doesn’t help that he built up hype for the band by repeatedly saying it’s the best thing ever or that he described Love as a mix of U2, Radiohead and Pink Floyd. Yes, it sounds ham-fisted at times and DeLonge has never really been known to have a ‘good’ singing voice, but Angels & Airwaves compensates for that with some rich melodies and a powerful overall atmospheric style.

I’ve always assumed DeLonge created this project in an attempt to make the total opposite of Blink-182. The result is a style that isn’t entirely original, relying on pomposity and a musical self-importance that veers closely to the same style employed by bands like U2, 30 Seconds to Mars and Muse. I’ve joked a few times that AVA, 30 Seconds to Mars and Muse should go on one massive tour together to see who can be more ‘epic’ and ‘life-changing’ than the other. I’m sure that tour would be quite the spectacle.

As for this album: it’s actually pretty good. After an instrumental kicks off the record (Et Ducit Mundum Per Luce, named in Latin because it’s so deep or something), The Flight of Apollo charges forth with a bouncy, energetic guitar riff (something AVA has missed in the past), but not before a minute and a half of DeLonge’s voice muffled by effects and space noises, of course. His voice, as mentioned earlier, has an out-of-breath, over-enunciated sound to it on these songs that was probably intended to sound more dramatic and powerful but instead re-affirms that his voice isn’t one of his best assets.

After the six-minute emotional burst of Apollo ends, Young London picks up out of its wake and bursts with epic-sounding guitar and drums, with Tom singing about “I’m not the one to admit it’s helpless. I have a sense that we will be alright…I wish for peace with electric silence to keep our hearts beating on our minds. And we will see that we’re all connected when we awake to the tunnel’s light”, appropriately puffed-up lyrics about life and existence and peace and war set to such puffed-up, self-indulgent music.

yeah, this is Tom's project

The rest of the songs are more of the same, but that’s not necessarily a dig against the album. Angels & Airwaves, to me, has always been about style over substance, and it shows on Love. Tom, of course, intends for it to resonate with the listener and be the best music ever, but anything that regards itself that important rarely is. Instead, the songs on this album reflect his desire to craft something that isn’t offensive or abrasive, but rather enjoyable to listen to.

Epic Holiday is another highlight, with a good hook and a little more of a rhythmic energy that doesn’t just rely on effects and space noises. Hallucinations, the album’s first single, was a fitting choice, as it’s also a standout on the album.

Overall, Love is a pretty decent album; I’ve never really cared much for Angels & Airwaves, but this time around Tom and friends managed to create an album that I can listen to all the way through without getting excessively bored. I understand why people hate on the band, as everything has a heavy self-importance that borders on arrogance (especially with Tom comparing it to Pink Floyd and Radiohead). It isn’t as good as anything by those bands, of course, but it isn’t totally boring either.

I’m impressed that Love was released totally for free, in the same style that Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails have done previously. This will be re-released in a deluxe physical copy too at some point, but I like to see bands release albums for free like this. Granted, everyone can’t do this, and Tom has enough money to hand out music for free, but it’s still a nice gesture.

There is a companion movie also coming out soon, apparently…I can only imagine how grandiose and sprawling that will be, considering it’s based on AVA songs and the message behind them all, of hope and love and all that. Wow.

While this isn’t one of my favorite records of recent memory, it should appeal to anyone who likes atmospheric alternative rock, and especially anyone who enjoyed AVA’s previous albums.

The man who is loved and infamous for rarely speaking with a heavy emphasis on the rare is now tweeting, speaking and out right vomiting a full-force attack on Southwest Airlines for asking him to exit their plane due to his weight.

Silent Bob formally known as Kevin Smith is challenging the airline to bring a row of demo-seats to the Daily Show so the actor/producer can prove to the world he can fit, wagering a costly bet, of $10,00 donated to an unknown charity if he cannot fit in the seats and if he can he asks that Southwest agree re-train their entire staff “to be less corporate when they decide to train a poor girl off the plane & shame her.”

Does he not realize what a jerk he is being and all the people’s time he is wasting?!? Sure he is in a powerful position and has the means to draw light to plenty of situations in society that are ridiculous and unfair but does he really have to ensure that some poor girl and all of the associates that cooperated and supported her decision get fired for maintaining the standards their employing airline deem fair to ensure overall comfort for every single one of their guests? Who wants to sit in an already uncomfortable seat with a stranger’s body touching up against them for the duration of their flight? Also, nobody purchases a flight from Southwest and thinks, luxury, comfort, and top shelf beverages all while expecting an outright 5 star flying experience.  Knowing that Southwest at least protects my flying experience enough to make sure I am not forced into touching my neighbor for three hours during my flights to the Mid and Southwest, gives me great peace and appreciation for their extremely reliable and low priced tickets. It’s obvious, there was some communication error where it was not thoroughly explained to Smith the dimensions of the seat and the policies in which are used to determine that a customer must purchase one or two tickets. But this all out attack is unnecessary and leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I say he should either drop the fight and live life the way he always has purchasing two tickets, or put on a pair of Asics and save his heart, wallet and pride! His need to harass the airline is a waste of 1,659,044 twitter followers and ability to make national headlines with top-notch media sources in seconds.

Shame.

To read more of the insanity this man has unleashed http://twitter.com/THatkevinsmith

-Scratched Diamond

One of the perks and banes of journalism school is being forced to know what’s happening in the world.

Through Redmanthatcould, I get my important porn news of the day, like this video that will most likely get you fired or make your neck feel really funny.

I subscribe to a zillion newspapers through my phone and also check out the Huffington Post semi-regularly. On top of that, since I’m on the magazine track, I get a bunch of magazines that have yet to be opened. Truthfully, I mostly cut out pictures and paste them on my walls, kindergarten style.

My teachers have also stressed the importance of getting news from a variety of sources. Apparently, there is more information out there than what CNN provides. In fact, there is a whole entire bizarro world of “news” called Foxnews.com, and boys and girls, it’s an amazing sphere of published nonsense.

I found this article today while perusing the internet. It comes from “Hannity’s America.”

Blast From the Past

A mystery billboard in Minnesota is turning heads along I-35 just outside the city of Wyoming. The massive sign shows the 43rd President of the United States George W. Bush waving at drivers as they pass by asking, “Miss Me Yet?”

But the real question on the minds of a lot of Minnesotans is: Who’s behind this ad campaign and, frankly, whose side is that person on?

The general manager of the ad agency that leased the billboard told Minnesota Public Radio that it was “paid for by a group of small business owners who feel like Washington is against them. They wish to remain anonymous.”

I think a lot of Americans all across the country have the answer to the question on that billboard: Yes, President Bush, we miss you. Come home.

Turns out, several websites confirm it is real, but the shocking revelation about this brief is that there are actual people out there who “miss” the former president.

The mystery behind the board however is whether it’s a jab at Bush or Obama. Hannity seems to think it’s the latter. This is the baffling part.

Since when did people suddenly forgive Bush for his idiocracy? Did I miss something? Has a year’s worth of Obama transgressions really been tantamount to nearly a decade of Bush-shit?

Can’t help but wonder if Bush’s sudden resurgence of popularity has anything to do with Rahm Emanuel’s “retard” snafu—say suggesting that retards should be treated better?