Every cloud has one...

soul asylum - the silver lining

sometimes i wish i had been 21 years old about 10 years earlier than it actually happened. the minnesota music scene was (and for the most part still is) one of the healthiest around. bands like husker du, trip shakespeare, live animal sandwich (haha, stebbing) and the suburbs filled local hotspots nightly. i really missed out :( one of the bands from the 80's has proven to have sizable staying power. soul asylum released their first disc in 1984 and with this relase coming 22 years later, they are still going strong.

i have to be honest and admit that i didn't even realize that this album was in the works. it had been so long (back to 98) since SA had realeased a new disc that they kind of fell off my radar.

the band has gone through some tough years since that last release. most notably the death founding member/bassist karl mueller. dave pirner moved from mpls to new orleans and they picked up new drummer michael bland (i have a friend who has a great story about him) who is just a monster.

the disc isnt as great as 'grave dancers..." or "let your dim..." but it definitely has its place among the ranks.

some nuggets to put on your iTunes wishlist:
stand up and be strong - the first cut from the disc contains some great hooks. saw them do this on leno last month. really nice.

bus named desire - great rock tune. sounds errily similar to another song by a popular 3 letter band.

oxygen - the build-up from start to finish is really cool.

rating: ***/5

time is a valuable thing these days....

who knew working 65 hours a week plus school would put a stress on my timetables?? that said, the blog'in is gonna be pretty sparse. i know all 3 of you are sad.

starfield - beauty in the broken [ web ]

do yourselves a favor and get starfield's latest effort; beauty in the broken. we started doing one of these tracks in worship (glorious one) and it's great.

pick it up and get your worship on.

rating: *****

the frey: how to save a life

.....or a better title might be "the fray: how to fall asleep"

i have been having some troubles sleeping over the past few months. my theory is that caffine after 12 noon probably doesn't help but it's soooo addicting. anyhow, i think i have found the perfect sleep aide. the fray.

the fray has had a single [ over my head ] out for a while now and it is rather catchy. that said, there is not much positive to report. the entire cd starts sounding like one really long song about halfway through. singer isaac slade's voice sounds lazy and tired, not in a good way either (a good "tired" voice might be chris martin of coldplay......maybe).

the first few songs on the disc are decent and somewhat upbeat, but the fun stops there. while giving this a whole listen it became more like background music and i just about forgot it was on. it just wasn't interesting, nothing innovative or fresh. it may be that the second half of the cd contains songs that just don't have any hooks to them. the other problem may be that this genre of music has really already peaked for now and the fray is just a litle late.

my advice, pick up the single "over my head" on iTunes or walmart but spend the rest of your cash on something a little more creative. as for me, next time i have trouble sleeping i might put the headphones on and start at track #5

rating: *.5

ireland: guiness and great folk music!

so have you given a listen to del amitri yet? i'm tellin' ya, it's good stuff.....

this past week has been a blur of activities. i can't wait for summer break from school. 4 more weeks to go. i have a ministerial ethics class right now. should be an easy one compared to the old testament theo class i just wrapped.

music, music.....what did i listen to this past week? oh yeah, damien rice & the format. let me share...


damien rice - O
[ http://www.damienrice.com/ ]

"what the world needs now is another folk singer, like i need a hole in my head" ~cracker

this however is the one exception i will make.....

so this disc is a few years old already but lately i have found joy in digging up stuff from the past and relistening. funny how the memories come flying in and are so different for each song sometimes.

damien rice is an irish gentleman with a guitar and a good voice. i'd say a great voice but i'm pretty sure there are some out of tune notes on his part, especially on the track 'blowers daughter'.

the songs are low key and not overly produced. which makes sense since this disc was recorded in his house. nothing too fancy i'm sure. i really appreciate the honesty and intimacy of the lyrics. they seem really personal at times and almost painful for him to sing about. that's a sign of a good artist in my opinion when that can be done well as it is here.

a couple of my favorites;
'delicate' - a nice shuffle that shows a lot of emotional range in rice's voice. great line in the song 'why do you sing hallelujah, if it means nothing to you"

'volcano' - this is a sultry little number with some really nice instrumentation. violin and acoustic guitar are always a nice combo. the girl singing on the track fits perfectly. sounds like fiona apple but i dont think it is. probably lisa hannigan, she does most of the backup vocals.

'eskimo' - this track is worth mentioning mainly because it is about 15 minutes long. about halfway through you forget what you are listening to and it comes back towards the end and then fades away at the end.

rating: ****.5 yep, this is a keeper.

stay tuned for the format review....it's getting late now.

the weekend in review.....and some music

wow, this whirlwind weekend is finally winding down! the majority of friday was spent being "dad" with amelia while sarah was attacking the woodbury garage sales. then it was off to small group for the evening. saturday was spent with mom as an early mother's day celebration. it was great to get together with everyone. we are truly blessed by great families.

and today....well it was crazy. i must have had a lapse in good judgment a few weeks ago when i agreed to give this message today in worship. of course that was done on top of my usual job of worship leading. i have a new found admiration for good speakers. Hopefully i got my points across......

ok, here's something i'm maybe more capable of doing....music reviews!


warren barfield - reach
i was first exposed to barfield in 2003 with the song 'my heart goes out' it was on a different album than the above mentioned but it was great. got a hold of it and the rest is history.

i have had the chance to see him several time in both small and large settings. he is a truly gifted acoustic guitar player and you can really see his heart in the music.

this latest cd "reach" is much different than his first effort but it works. barfield is dipping into new territory this time around. this new disc has funk, rock, ballad, blues.....you name it. his lyrics are deeper this time around as well covering an array of topics from hardships, grace, and living life outside of ourselves.

while this is a good disc and worthy of a couple downloads on itunes (recommend: saved, i'll be alright, beyond these walls), you really have to catch him in a live setting to really enjoy the fruits God has given him.

rating: ****


teddy geiger - underage thinking
a few years ago there was a show on nbc called "ed". i really enjoyed this show. it was a quirky hour long dramedy (spelling?) about a big city lawyer coming back to his small town, buying a bowling alley and chasing after his high school crush. well it ended all too soon after a few short seasons.

i was delighted to find that the lead character would be involved in a new show earlier this year called "love monkey". the show was about a record company rep (tom) and all the hoopala that goes along with it. long story short on this one; really lame show but great music.

ok so there was this "artist" that tom was trying to shop around. the kid had a great voice and decent music abilities. i wondered though if it was really him doing that or just lip syncing over a john mayer track.

turns out he was the real deal and his name is teddy geiger. while john mayer is alright (his latest "try!" is actually pretty good) this guy takes mayer's style to a new level. i'm a fan of the acoustic guitar over most instruments but when others are done well i appreciate it. geiger showcases his talents on the piano, bass and drums through much of the album. his voice is right in midrange with a nice rasp to it. it has a real honest feel to it as well which is always a nice touch.

this is a good release but i think he has a tough road ahead of him if he wants to beat the john mayer comparisons. he has the stuff, time will tell

oh did i mention...he's only 17. nice

rating: ***1/2

the first transmission

well here it is, i have finally succumbed to peer pressure and have started this blog. what will this blog consist of you ask? that is a good question. most definitely it will include music reviews of both old and new music. that's about all i will promise at this point. feel free to comment whenever on whatever, just not on my bad spelling and lack of capitalization (i'm not a fan).

let the senseless typing begin....

today's tunes:
del amitri - hatful of rain
ok, ok you're probably wondering what's wrong with me suggesting del amitri. i wondered that myself but i came across this jewel quite a few years ago and am just now giving it a spin.

DA definitely fell victim to the one-hit-wonder spell which is actually a shame. while the song "roll to me" is definitely a notch below mediocre at best and "always the last to know" would probably be best suited for a romantic-comedy montage (however, i have to admit that this song is definitely a guilty pleasure for me). they do make up for these two tracks with 15 other songs that range from bluesy to pop. my favorite cut is without a doubt "driving with the brakes on". it's still playing right now as i type and i think this is time #8 in a row.

i can't speak for any other del amitri songs on their six albums that aren't on this disc so you're on your own there. but i can tell you that this is a solid pick and accompanies any mood you might be in.

rating: **** (out of 5)