CWG's Top 10 Albums of the Decade

Written By: CWG Staff

CWG Albums of the decade as voted on by CWG staff. It's the end of the decade, and we've done a lot of thinking, not just about booze and whores, but about our favorite things from the past 10 years. Here, we present it to you. If you agree, don't agree, or have a top list of your own, by all means, please fill out the poll below the article.

10. Green Day- American Idiot - American Idiot is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band Green Day. It was co-produced with longterm collaborator Rob Cavallo and released on September 21, 2004 through Reprise Records.

In mid-2003, the band began recording songs for an album titled Cigarettes and Valentines. However, the master tracks were lost and the band decided to start over rather than re-record Cigarettes and Valentines. They decided to produce a rock opera, inspired by the work of The Who and numerous musicals. It follows the life of "Jesus of Suburbia", a sort of anti-hero created by Billie Joe Armstrong. Following early recording at Oakland, California's Studio 880, the band finished the album in Los Angeles.

The album achieved popularity worldwide, charting in 26 countries and reaching number one in nineteen of them, including the United States and the United Kingdom. Since its release, American Idiot has sold over 14 million copies worldwide, including 267,000 in its opening week. The album won numerous awards including a Grammy for Best Rock Album, and received acclaim by critics.

9. The White Stripes- Elephant - Elephant is the fourth album by the American alternative rock band The White Stripes. Released on April 1, 2003 on V2 Records, the album marks the band's major label debut. Despite this change, Heather Phares of Allmusic believed the album "sounds even more pissed-off, paranoid, and stunning than its predecessor…Darker and more difficult than White Blood Cells."

The record garnered much critical acclaim upon its release, and went on to win a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album in 2004.

The White Stripes were gaining momentum with their previous three albums and were generally lauded in critical circles. Upon its release, critical response to this album was overwhelmingly positive, and many critics hailed it as the one of the defining events of the 2000s garage rock revival. Uncut magazine remarked that "Elephant is where the tabloid phenomenon of summer 2001 prove they are no flash in the pan by making a truly phenomenal record." David Fricke (with Rolling Stone) called it "a work of pulverizing perfection," adding, "It will be one of the best things you hear all year." and Allmusic said the album "overflows with quality."

Critics also commented on the development of the band. NME noted that "The eloquence, barbarism, tenderness and sweat-drenched vitality of Elephant make it the most fully-realised White Stripes album yet." PopMatters said the album cemented "their evolution from Blind Willie McTell cover band with a pop sensibility to full-fledged, honest-to-goodness rock 'n' roll gods." The album enjoys a metacritic rating of 92. Negative critique, though rare, was centered around the "gimmicks" that surround the music, most notably, the White Stripes' insistence on being called siblings. "So maybe it's time to drop the enigmatic charade," Lorraine Ali (with Newsweek) pleaded, although she concluded, "Elephant still sounds great."

The album debuted at number one in the United Kingdom and reached number six on the Billboard 200 in the US. The album won Grammys for Best Alternative Album and Best Rock Song ("Seven Nation Army"). In 2003, the album was ranked number 390 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It was also placed thirty-ninth in Channel 4's list of the 100 Greatest Albums of all time. In December 2003, NME made it their Album of the Year.

8. Arcade Fire- Funeral - Funeral is the debut full-length album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on September 14, 2004 in North America by Merge Records and on February 28, 2005 in Europe by Rough Trade Records. It was given its title because several band members had recently lost members of their families: Régine Chassagne's grandmother died in June 2003, Win and William Butler's grandfather (swing musician Alvino Rey) in March 2004, and Richard Reed Parry's aunt in April 2004.

Preliminary recordings for Funeral were made during the course of a week in August 2003 at the Hotel2Tango in Montreal, Quebec, and the recording was completed later that year.

The album produced 5 singles. The most successful, "Rebellion (Lies)", peaked at #19 on the UK Singles Chart. The album received wide critical acclaim and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2005 for Best Alternative Music Album. It was ranked eighth in Bob Mersereau's 2007 book The Top 100 Canadian Albums, and #2 on Pitchfork's 200 Top Albums of the 2000s.

7. Deftones- White Pony - White Pony is the third album by Deftones, released in 2000. It is the follow up to Around the Fur, which was released in 1997, and marks a significant growth in the band's sound; incorporating New Wave and shoegaze influences with the alternative metal edge the group had honed and become known for. To this end, it is generally regarded by fans and critics alike as their most mature outing.

The song "Passenger" features the guest vocals of Tool and A Perfect Circle vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The band won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the song "Elite" in 2001. A total of four different versions of the album exist. On its release date, limited edition copies were released with solid red and black jewel cases. The two different colored cases also featured different insert booklets. Both limited edition versions included the added track "The Boy's Republic", but did not include "Back to School (Mini Maggit)".

The first edition with a grey cover was supposed to be released as the non-limited version of the album. In addition, this version did not feature the track "Back to School". This is the proper version of the album, and "Back to School" was only added as a marketing strategy; Chino Moreno has stated that he wasn't happy about it.

6. Common- Finding Forever - Finding Forever is the Grammy Award winning seventh album by Common, released on July 31, 2007 on G.O.O.D. Music/Geffen Records. Like Common's previous album, Be (2005), Finding Forever is primarily produced by Kanye West.

The album debuted at the number one on the Billboard 200, selling 155,000 units in the first week, becoming Common's first chart-topper. Selling over 500,000 units in the US, it has been certified Gold.

Common explains that "Finding Forever really means to find a place in music where you can exist forever. Music can be forever if you make it from the heart, if you make it from the soul and it’s good. And I look at music like Bob Marley's or Marvin Gaye's or Stevie Wonder's or A Tribe Called Quest's, that's forever music. And I’m continuing on the quest to make forever music."

Common also says: "And now with the death of J Dilla and other things, you start thinking about forever lasting for real through music [...] Jay Dee will last forever through his music and hopefully generations down the line will know about Common through his music. And it's also saying: I been doing this for a nice period of time, so I'm trying to find the place where I can keep existing in the game and make music I love."

5. The White Stripes- White Blood Cells - Considered the band's commercial breakthrough, White Blood Cells peaked at number 61 on the Billboard 200, going Gold and selling over 500,000 units. The album also reached number 55 in the United Kingdom, being bolstered in both territories by the "Fell in Love with a Girl" single and its Lego-animation music video. Stylus magazine rated it the fifteenth greatest album of 2000-2005 while Pitchfork Media ranked it ninth on their list of the top 100 albums from 2000-2004, and twelfth on their top 200 of the 00s. Uncut Magazine placed it first in their list of the greatest 150 albums of the 00s. The album was dedicated to Loretta Lynn, creating a friendship between Lynn and both Jack and Meg White. In 2004, Jack White would produce Lynn's comeback hit album Van Lear Rose.

Redd Kross bassist Steven Shane McDonald created an online-only art project, titled Redd Blood Cells, in which he added a bass track to the otherwise bass-less album. The White Stripes arranged with Steven to take the files down after more than 60,000 downloads. The song "The Union Forever" featured on this album is a tribute to Orson Welles' film classic Citizen Kane. Nearly every line of the song lyrics correspond to dialog or songs from the movie.

4. Jay- Z- The Black Album - The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released November 14, 2003 on Roc-A-Fella Records. It was promoted as his final studio album, which serves as a recurring theme, although Jay-Z returned to solo recording with Kingdom Come in 2006.

The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling nearly 463,000 copies in its first week. It received widespread acclaim from most music critics. According to The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), The Black Album is "old-school and utterly modern", as it showed Jay-Z "at the top of his game, able to reinvent himself as a rap classicist at the right time, as if to cement his place in hip-hop's legacy for generations to come". Pitchfork Media ranked The Black Album at number 90 on its list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s.

3. Amy Winehouse- Back to Black - Back to Black is the second studio album by English R&B/soul singer and songwriter Amy Winehouse, released in October 2006 on Island Records. The album has spawned a number of singles such as "Rehab", "You Know I'm No Good", "Back to Black", "Tears Dry on Their Own", and "Love Is a Losing Game". Back to Black has received universal critical acclaim, and has been praised for its classic jazz/soul vibe, "vintage production style", accomplished songwriting, and Winehouse's mature and emotive singing style. It has appeared on numerous year-end Top Ten Lists produced by The Austin Chronicle (number four), Billboard Magazine (number three), Blender Magazine (number eight), Slant Magazine (number four), Entertainment Weekly (number two), The New York Times (number three) and Time Magazine (number one).

At the 50th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, Back to Black won five awards, tying the record (with Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Beyoncé, and Alison Krauss) for the most awards won by a female artist in a single ceremony. The album won Best Pop Vocal Album, while "Rehab" won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year and Record of the Year; Winehouse also won Best New Artist. So far, the album has sold over 12 million copies worldwide. With 5.5 million copies sold in 2007 it was the biggest selling album of the year, and stayed on the top 10 best selling albums in the world list in 2008 at number seven.

2. Gnarls Barkley- St. Elsewhere - St. Elsewhere is the debut album by Gnarls Barkley, a collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo Green. The album was originally titled Who Cares? in reference to the low sales Gnarls Barkley prematurely predicted their album would experience. It was released on April 24, 2006 in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Album Chart, and on May 9, 2006 in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a digital download in the U.S. iTunes Music Store. It debuted at number twenty on the U.S. Billboard 200, and as of the Billboard 200 issue date of August 5, 2006, it peaked at #4 on this chart.

The album's first single, "Crazy", was the first song to become a UK number-one single based solely on downloads. As of August 22, 2006, the album has been shipped to stores in excess of 1,000,000 units, receiving a platinum certification from the RIAA. By Nielsen SoundScan sales are now at 1,260,535 copies, as of March 15, 2007.

A limited edition deluxe package of St. Elsewhere was released on November 7. The CD+DVD package includes a 92 page booklet, four music videos and bonus songs from live performances. It was also released on vinyl. The album has sold over 5.8 million copies worldwide to date.

1. Radiohead- Kid A - Kid A is the fourth album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released in October 2000. A commercial success worldwide, Kid A went platinum in its first week of release in the UK. Despite the lack of an official single or music video as publicity, Kid A became the first Radiohead release to debut at number one in the US. This success was credited variously to a unique marketing campaign, the early Internet leak of the album, or anticipation after the band's 1997 album, OK Computer.

Kid A was recorded in Paris, Copenhagen, Gloucestershire and Oxford with producer Nigel Godrich. The album's songwriting and recording were experimental for Radiohead, as the band replaced their earlier "anthemic" rock style with a more electronic sound. Influenced by Krautrock, jazz, and 20th century classical music, Radiohead abandoned their three-guitar lineup for a wider range of instruments on Kid A, using keyboards, the Ondes martenot, and, on certain compositions, strings and brass. Kid A also contains more minimal and abstract lyrics than the band's previous work. Singer Thom Yorke has said the album was not intended as "art", but reflects the music they listened to at the time. Original artwork by Stanley Donwood and Yorke, and a series of short animated films called "blips", accompanied the album.

Kid A has been considered one of the more challenging pop records to have commercial success, and it polarised opinion among both fans and critics. The album won a Grammy for Best Alternative Album and was nominated for Album of the Year. It also received praise for introducing listeners to diverse forms of underground music. It was named the best album of the Decade (2000-2009) by Rolling Stone magazine.

Bands under The Radar - Part 2

Written By: Trisha Hanudel

4 Guns again (this is a seriously good website!!)

If you haven’t heard about Bands Under the Radar by now, get going! It’s a great concept that delivers 100 songs for just $10 right to your email, in 20-song chunks. Check out the review of Playlist #37. Now we’re going for the next 20-song chunk, Playlist #38, streaming now on the Bands Under the Radar.com.

Playlist #38 starts with a powerful bang from Hawksley Workman’s “When You Gonna Flower.” I don’t know what the title means, but it’s the perfect song to dance around to with a hairbrush for a microphone – it’s that kind of song. Halfway through Workman’s lesser song, “Goodbye to Radio”, something cool happened in the player that I didn’t catch before –it starts rolling through the cover art and pictures of each artist on the playlist. In this post-mortem time of the radio star, that kind of visual information really helps you feel like you know these artists you’ve never heard of.

The next couple songs were low-key. The Daylights’ “Ahh” was a particularly interesting sound, opening up with a reverb-heavy vocal chorus reminiscent of the headiest head trip of the psychedelic ‘60s, and leading into a chunky, fuzzy wall of guitars heard in bands like Muse. Because this is a playlist, not an album, the transitions can be a bit odd, so while I appreciate the effort of the Delta Generators, they really just served to distract me with thoughts of the Allman Brothers.

But Jen Gloeckner brought it back. If you swoon over Stevie Nicks, crush over the Sneaker Pimps’ Kelly Ali, and melt to the vibe of Portishead, Jen Gloeckner is your new leading lady. Rarely do I get chills from a first-time listen, but Gloeckner’s smooth, plain-spoken and honest voice and Nick Cave-ish lyrics pulled me in and my world just stopped. Understatedly intense is the only way to describe it – Jen Gloeckner is the must-listen of this playlist. (Her album is “Mouth of Mars” – go find it now!)

Gloeckner led into a run of fairly forgettable songs that gave way to the driving powerhouse of The Duke Spirit, with “Lassoo”, and next up is….my old college roommate Dawn Landes?!?!? Playing poppier, happier tunes than I remember, she’s the voice for fans of Cat Power and Suzanne Vega, and she still toys with melodies from classic American folk standards. Playlist #38 is like #37, chock full of great new music – some great hits and a few misses – but Bands Under the Radar proves to be the source for some of the best undiscovered artists.

Read Part 1 here.

Adam Lambert Sparks America's Homophobia

Written By: Hallie Madenski

Did you ever think people were starting to become less homophobic? Did the appearance of more gay characters on television give you that idea? Or maybe the few celebrities who have admitted proudly that they are gay, maybe that gave you that idea? Ellen Degeneres and Wanda Sykes, actual lesbians with their own talk shows! Wow what progress. Well I can't deny that homophobia is less tolerated then it once was, it is nowhere close to being done with. As is true with the "choice" to become a Republican, being homophobic is something that is often passed down by parents. Like a learning disorder or a predisposition to cancer. It is only magnified by comments made by, guess who, Republicans. Older people set in their ways, rappers, sports figures and the general population of any rural area can also be held accountable for remarks that put strange ideas in impressionable children and young adult minds.

The word "faggot" has become a commonplace insult for young people to use even when not referring to anyone's sexuality. The more kids who learn and say this word pass it on to other kids like the plague until just about every kid learns the word. Also, the idea that the word "gay" simply means "bad" or "stupid" just goes to show how homophobic a country we really are. Though my outrage at the treatment of the gay community has always been strong, I was recently very disturbed by certain reactions to gay pop star Adam Lambert.

Lambert performed for the first time on TV at the American Music Awards on November 22nd. I'm not going to say his routine wasn't controversial or raunchy but Lambert has received what I believe to be camouflaged homophobic concerns. He's been criticized for setting a bad example for his young fans. He pointed out that it was nearly 11 at night and that it is up to the parents to make sure their kids aren't watching. He went on to mention that nobody cared when Lady Gaga smashed whiskey bottles and lit her piano on fire. Nobody cared when Eminem sang about having several "rapes" under his belt. And nobody complained when Janet Jackson grabbed her dancer's crotch.

ABC has received thousands of letters no doubt from horrified stay at home moms. I can only picture them sitting down to watch the American Music Awards with their child. A freshly baked pie just out of the oven, their balding sweater vest wearing husband adjacent. A bowl of popcorn on the pristine table by their knees. And I can only savor the image of them quickly jumping in front of the TV as Adam Lambert came out. Sweat oozing from their pores at the very thought that their own poor defenseless child might see that filth and blasphemy. As Lambert began to simulate oral sex and fisting on male and females alike. Oh the horror! Much worse than Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's mishap at the superbowl. I mean, at least that was heterosexual.

The performance was obviously meant to shock people I mean, he kissed another guy on regular TV. It's not unexpected, just disappointing that this would be the reaction. And of course it gets a bit worse. Lambert was scheduled to perform on Good Morning America the next day but was deemed too controversial of a guest. Chris Brown, infamous woman-beater, was booked to be on the show long before Adam Lambert's shocking performance. Having Chris Brown on any show to promote his horrible album is promoting not only his career but his behavior towards Rihanna. Behavior which, on Larry King, he actually claimed to not remember parts of. Is being gay a question of character or values? Not to me it isn't. While I may believe hitting your significant other is a character flaw, Good Morning America has its own flawed idea of what is right and wrong.

In an interview on The Early Show Lambert apologized only for his singing performance. It reminded me of Lady Gaga's response to being asked what the worse rumor is about her, replying "That I'm from Yonkers." Nicely played, nicely played. I do feel that the uproar over Lambert's performance have almost as much to do with the fact that he's gay as the fact that he's male. I've seen Britney Spears and Madonna doing equally provocative and tasteless things. Speaking of Madonna and Britney, it's come to my attention that on that same Early Show appearance CBS decided to blur the image of Lambert's man on man kiss. Interesting since CBS never blurred out the woman to woman kiss shared by Britney and Madonna. Again, it's not surprising, since many man consider gay men to be disgusting but are turned on by lesbianism due to some strange delusion that all lesbians desire their inclusion in some sort of threesome. An act that would fully disbar them from actually being referred to as lesbians. I don't really believe in these labels. But they mean something to America as a whole.

America is all about labels and hypocrisy.. We are a sex crazed country who averts their eyes every time anything mildly obscene actually happens. What a tease of a country. The most supposedly straight-laced republican politicians are the people with the dirtiest sex secrets. We pride ourselves on our little Disney starlets who rarely keep up their image past the age of 17 due to the polarized sexualization of America. It's probably only okay for Lindsay Lohan to be a lesbian because she is no longer looked up to. So you saw a classless performance from a mediocre gay singer. It was entertaining, if anything. And there's no need to pretend to be worried about your children. Do people think once there's a gay man shaking his ass on TV their own kids will instantly become gay? As if Lambert is some kind of pied piper, galloping around using his gay tricks to lure kids onto his team. As if he were some wolf, ruining the good clean image of the American Music Awards. It's not a goddamn Disney on Ice show! People expect entertainment, then when they get it it's too much.

Even Obama doesn't support gay marriage. I'm sick of actual gay celebrities making excuses for him because he has so many other responsibilities. I really don't think legalizing gay marriage would take all that long. If gay marriage is the least of Obama's concerns shouldn't he just get it out of the way? Like when you're in a line at the grocery store and you let the person with less items go in front of you. Well the real reason is that Obama doesn't believe at all in gay marriage, he said that before you elected him, dummies. Of course that's good for America because America is ridiculously homophobic for such a "free" nation. Well we may be free but we aren't without ridiculous double standards and judgmental extremist assclowns who think being gay is a horrible affliction that needs to be cured. Anything we don't understand doesn't deserve to be on TV does it? Pop music needs people like Adam Lambert. Whether you like his music or not, he's going to continue to ruffle some feathers, so get used to it.

Diary of a Fading Rockstar - Episode VIII

Written By: Erik Rader

Fin de Siecle Musings on Rock Scene Incestuousness, or The Geek Who Knew Too Much

This one’s not over yet, but if past decades are any indication, we are in for a suffocating avalanche of retrospectives, best-of lists, top 10’s, 20’s, 100’s, etc. Everybody’s going to be making lists - I don’t know why people do this, and in fact I’m far from innocent in this regard, but it appears to be a common psychological response to the awareness of one’s own mortality. If we’re all going to die, it’s no surprise if a lot of us want to gather up our chips and stack them by color before we cash out.

Taking stock of one’s personal aesthetic inventory begins for many of us in elementary school when we start writing down lists of “BFF’s”, collecting trading cards, or memorizing sports stats; until finally we take interest in owning our own musical recordings, and songs become the collectibles, and album credits (songwriter/lyricist, producer, engineer, guest musicians, etc.) become the stats. Some freaks take it to the bridge with data such as chart placement, units moved, even collecting reviews. (Recently, this has evolved to include the creation of fan web sites, but I’ll leave that for a younger person to write about.)

I do know that when my brother and I were budding rock and roll fanatics, we were the only kids we knew who actually followed the connections from the first couple of albums we bought down a many-tributaried stream of names hidden in the fine print on the back of the album covers. One of our greatest inspirations was the classic and indispensable textbook of ultimate rock geekdom, the hale and hoary Pete Frame’s Complete Rock Family Trees (Omnibus Press). Through its auspices, we could take a record we knew and loved when we were little kids and had to depend on our much older brother to hip us to - say for instance, “Close To The Edge” by Yes - and discover that percussionist Bill Bruford also played for a band called King Crimson, which also featured bassist/vocalist Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer (whose music we were less impressed by) and bassist/vocalist John Wetton who had also been in Roxy Music; and that KC guitarist Robert Fripp not only appeared on albums by David Bowie, Brian Eno and Talking Heads, but produced and even provided an entire album concept for Peter Gabriel, who by the way used to be in this band called Genesis, and so on and so forth ad nauseam. In this manner one could get from one side of the ocean of rock history to the other, jump from genre to genre, and discover a world of underrated bands and artists that had brushed up against fame but had not stuck.

This curiosity about the backstory behind the incestuous world of rock and roll interestingly enough dovetailed with our own firsthand experience of it later on. Berkeley during our time growing up there, and even perhaps to this day, was lousy with professional musicians with absurdly deep connections in the business and to each other. Our milieu (or melee) of acquaintances ended up threading through, over a couple of decades, the Camper van Beethoven/Monks of Doom/Cracker/Counting Crows mafia, the 90’s San Francisco Jazz-Hop scene, the ridiculously connected Sam Coomes/Janet Weiss matrix, former members of the Grateful Dead and the English Beat, the Operation Ivy/Rancid continuum, Fishbone, the gigantic sponge-like mass surrounding Wes Claypool and Primus, as well as numberless similar conglomerations of musicians and bands with more or less name recognition than those listed above, but all deeply important to us.

For example, not many readers of this fine magazine will recognize the names Eskimo or Blue Movie, but the audiences of Sam Coomes’ early band Donner Party (which you should know about if you are a card-carrying indie rock geek, and your membership is hereby revoked if you don’t) were packed with fans of these two other bands. Similarly, you may not be familiar with Sleepytime Gorilla Theater or Charming Hostess, but if you’re a Bay Area musician, you’d have to have been living in a cave not to have. And while the name Leslie Medford probably won’t ring any bells with you, mere mention of him can strike entire rooms full of musicians dumb in an awed silence. Does it piss you off that Black Pole didn’t become hugely famous? It does me. Whenever I talk to indy-rock geeks who haven’t heard of the Sneetches, a stern lecture is likely to ensue.

Furthermore, none of these various rock dynasties existed in a vacuum, but cross-pollinated, interbred, merged and mutated together. The Donner Party crowd had direct ties to the Counting Crows scene, which had its own ties to the aforementioned Leslie Medford, Black Pole and the Sneetches; and almost every one of these band groupings somehow or other crossed paths (either by sharing members, rehearsal spaces, or gigs) with my band, as did Sordid Humor, Engine 88, Smoking Section, Papa’s Culture, the Freaky Executives, Sweet Baby Jesus, Unskilled Labor, Deadly Reign, etc. etc. None of which might ring any bells to, say, someone from Detroit, Chicago or New York, but might click a lightbulb on over the head of any Bay Area rock musician over the age of 30. Because of this, parties thrown by musicians in the Bay Area are a sometimes mind-numbing social vortex of ex-girlfriends, boyfriends, band-mates and business associates. At one of these functions you are 100% guaranteed to run into at least three people you’ve been hiding from for months, not to mention the ones that are hiding from you. On the other hand, if you’ve got your game face on and are in the zone, you could recruit a band that could rule the world.

Of course we all know almost too much about the music scenes in our own towns. Somebody from outside the Minneapolis-St. Paul area who happens to dig Husker Du and the Replacements won’t necessarily be hip to Trip Shakespeare; and believe it or not, I have actually met R.E.M. and B-52’s fans who have no opinion about Pylon, Flat Duo Jets or Love Tractor. Heck, just because you like Throwing Muses or Mission of Burma doesn’t guarantee you’ve ever heard the Bags, much less the Oysters. There’s also the generational thing you have to allow for - somebody who likes Spoon might not have heard “Marquee Moon”. Although if you don’t at least have an opinion about the seminal Television album, you probably should find something else to be a geek about, like sports or model trains.

Obsessive chartings of music scene inter-band incestuousness (I'm always reminded of the character of Alice from Showtime's "The 'L' Word", with her massive "Who slept with who" map, which looks like nothing so much as a ball of thread that's been played with by a cat for a few days) might not be everyone's cup of tea. Alternatively, there's the "fantasy dream team" game, where you make up imaginary supergroups out of all your favorite musicians -- "Dude, how about Keith Moon on drums, George Harrison and Roger McGuinn on guitar, Slim Harpo on Harmonica, Kim Deal on bass and Bon Scott on vocals? That would KILL!"

If I were to imagine a musical dream team (which I have to admit I've done a thousand times) with the caveat that it must be composed of musicians from my home town, I might not do much better than the actual real-life lineup of my most recent attempt at a band -- my brother on guitar, the rhythm section from his previous band, one or two local ringers on second guitar, and myself on vocals. When I think about it, I actually prefer the dream team/supergroup approach -- I mean, why not recruit the best musicians you know, in a combination you feel would gel supremely?

The problem is, at least in a ridiculously creativity-rich (not to mention pro gig-rich) field of players like the one I came from, the competition is all but insurmountable. Two musicians I know, with whom I have worked at one time or another, and who would be sweet additions to my supergroup, are pulling down the multi-platinum bucks. (Why won't that stuff rub off on me?) Not much incentive to throw the valuable minutes of their lives at a speculative venture like mine. Another two I imagine corralling for the dream team each have the same situation I do -- "Can't rehearse, have to go pick up the kid at daycare." If I had a pillow case full of cash to throw around I might be able to make the attempt -- most musicians are bigger whores than actual whores are -- but without those resources I'm just the casual friend they might run into at one of those parties, who they'd slap on the bicep and maybe even talk to for five minutes before going to refill their drink and forget the conversation. This may sound maudlin, paranoid and self-pitying -- and I'd be the first to admit it probably is -- but I have no solid data to the contrary.

It may be for this reason that I find myself compelled to make another list: My top five "We're getting the band back together" movies of all time.

1. "Still Crazy" stars Bill Nighy ("Love, Actually", "Underworld") as Ray, an aging, tweaked-out, shine-on-you-crazy-diamond former lead singer who lives in a castle with his Swedish wife. When members of his old band contact him with an idea of taking their old show on the road once more, he responds like an ancient desiccated vampire having blood drizzled on his lips.

2. "Rocker" features Rainn Wilson ("The Office") as Robert "Fish" Fishman, a drummer who gets kicked out of an 80's hair band on their way to the top, and who is forced to live in his sister's attic. When his nephew asks him to act as a last-minute replacement for his band's AWOL drummer so they can make their debut gig at the senior prom, Fish's over-the-top enthusiasm ruins everything.

3. "The Blues Brothers", John Landis' career-making masterpiece, as described in Wikipedia:

The story is a tale of redemption for paroled convict Jake (Belushi) and his brother Elwood (Aykroyd), who take on "a mission from God" to save from foreclosure the Catholic orphanage in which they grew up. To do so they must re-form their rhythm and blues band, The Blues Brothers, and organize a performance to earn $5,000 to pay the tax assessor. Along the way they are targeted by a destructive "mystery woman", Neo-Nazis, and a country and western band—all while being relentlessly pursued by the police.

4. "New York Doll" -- as Metallica would say, "Sad, but true."

5. "Hard Core Logo" -- In contrast to the previously mentioned real documentary, a fake documentary about a fictional punk band on a last-ditch reunion tour…..and any of you who have been in hardcore bands, been into hardcore bands, or at least know what a hardcore band is, can see it all now…..middle-aged punks, driving around the countryside trying desperately to bring back the magic…..good times, good times.

"Getting the band back together" is quite literally, no kidding, a recurring nightmare of mine, and none of these bad dreams has had anything remotely like a happy ending. That's why, when the band actually did decide to get back together, I most respectfully declined. There may be a lot of ingredients in the soup, but for me the simplest reason is this: I enjoy many, if not most, of my memories of what it was before I decided I was done. I can see no good reason to "fuck with the past", as Patti Smith so glibly put it. I am sure that those involved are getting something perfectly valid and enjoyable resurrecting or recreating a version of that past relationship, context, or whatever you want to call it; it just doesn't work that way for me. It's like these people meeting up with old high school lovers via Facebook and breaking up their marriages for a night or two of "What if…?" One of the things that I love about the past is that I can't change it. Maybe I can change how I feel about it, or change what I think it means, but the facts are indelible.

For better or worse, an acute knowledge of the past is crucial to rock and roll. It’s a foil for young musicians to reject, revile, revolt and rebel against; it’s a mine from which they can loot many a forgotten gem; it’s a place where the myriad layers of popular culture become ingrained in the collective memory. On a surface level, the majority of people listening to music today are barely conscious of anything before this week. For the people who are dedicated to digging a little bit deeper below the surface - who hear the voices of “Dead Souls” calling them - there is no better archaeological site to dig in than one’s own back yard. In my next few articles, I'd like to talk a little bit about the present, and maybe even the future. Until then, hand me that shovel, will you?

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7

Bands Under the Radar Changes The Game

Written By: Trisha Hanudel

100 Songs for $10 @ Bands Under The Radar

There’s a great new website, Bands Under the Radar.com, who has created an innovative way to get the best in the hottest music coming out today. Only $10 gets you 100 songs, emailed to you over the course of a few weeks in 20-song chunks until you’ve amassed 100 songs. Want more instantly? Throw down another $10. Want to give your new songs some time to sink into your head? You can buy 100 more songs whenever you feel like it. Never want another song emailed again? After you get your 100 songs, you’re free! There’s no commitment here.

If you’re feeling a little gun-shy, you’re welcome to listen to the entire playlist on the website before you buy it. (see below) It’s really as if you had your own commercial-free radio playing all the music you never knew you liked, and it’s a wonderful alternative if you’ve had it Indie 103.1’s streaming radio – this music is much, much cooler.

Featured currently on playlist and podcast #38 is the ubiquitous indie darlings Band of Skulls, The Fray and Jack Johnson’s love child, Jack Savoretti, and my new favorites, Elle Macho. Elle Macho is a trio based out of Nashville, and is a powerful blend of agro-sexiness. They take Concrete Blond’s sound and twist it into a minor, angsty key, overlaid by a powerhouse female vocal that evokes mullet-era Joan Jett without all that unnecessary rasp and bravado.

Other favorites were Lord T and Eloise’s Black Limousine. This independent hip hop act is a refreshing newcomer to the scene – they put the emphasis back on the show, so if you ever get a chance to see them in concert, go! Amazing Baby is also featured, with their sparkling sonic void filled with reverb and wailing guitars. Jesse Woods’ It Girl is a song reminiscent of a live Jeff Buckley, and is the reason Bands Under the Radar exists – I would have never known about Jesse Woods had I not checked out the playlist.

All told, this first installment of playlist #38 is a great mix – as if your coolest friend made you a mix tape. Bands Under the Radar is a great way to scan for new music without having to search for it yourself. Each artist is listed with the names of their songs and links to their website, Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter pages so you can become their instant biggest fan after just one listen – and you’ll become the new biggest fan of handful of bands featured. I might even start the new Elle Macho fanclub, after just one listen!

La Roux Is Bulletproof

Written By: Hallie Madenski

Following the legacies of androgynous icons such as Annie Lennox and David Bowie, La Roux's new CD invokes the good part of the 80's. It also invokes the good part of dance music that sometimes seems forgotten. Less pathetic and beat reliant yet more invigorating. Like Lady Gaga, La Roux's videos are not necessary to the music but are key in the message, visionary yet simple. Singer Elly Jackson's face is unmistakable and so is her voice. Meaningful with a power that never wanes, one similar to that of New Zealand native Ladyhawke or electro pop sensation Little Boots. A sometimes monotonous yet beautiful high-pitched glory that I am completely smitten with.

Singer Eleanor Jackson and her song writing partner and co-producer Ben Langmaid make up the band. Influenced by 80's bands like Yazoo and Heaven 17, they are vintage electronic candy to my happily melting ears. Jackson and Langmaid first encountered one and another several years back, in 2006. Their first single as La Roux, "Quicksand," came out in late 2007. "In For The Kill," their second single, has done quite well on the UK charts. As is expected, England is quite a few steps ahead of us when it comes to music. La Roux only just started catching on in a major way recently with the appearance of their video for "Bulletproof" on MTV.

La Roux, meaning "red-haired one" in French, are signed to Polydor Records, the same label as Klaxons and Kate Nash. Polydor also acts as the UK label for distribution of music by a wide variety of bands such as Weezer, Lady Gaga, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and even the Jonas Brothers. Before they released their debut on Polydor, the duo called themselves "Automan," writing mostly acoustic tunes. From reading interviews I can do more than speculate that Elly Jackson is not a follower and has strong opinions. And I don't mean she's a bitch. Just not the shy nervous wallflower you might imagine from looking at her. She seems critical of herself and as a result, of others as well.

Angular and pasty with fiery red Tilda Swinton hair, Elly Jackson is not only musically talented but has all the attributes of a potential icon. She is strange and fashionable and boyish. The band's songs are lyrically simplistic but also rather ingenious in that "I wish I'd though of that" type of way. I can't really respect anyone who doesn't take great care in all aspects of their craft. This is a band who takes great care, and it shines though invigoratingly through each song.

Almost every song from their self-titled debut CD is worthy of your Itunes music collection. But then again this music isn't for everyone. Their sound is very reliant on beats and could only be described as electronic pop music. Don't sour your face at the word "pop" though, that word may have some negative history but you have to remember the spirit. Their song "Tigerlily" starts with a booming Jackson spouting angrily and then calming her voice gently on the chorus. Something she does amazingly well, I might add. An expected formula with some unknown tweak of brilliance.

Jackson Croons "I don't like the taste of your morality," mid song. Well, I don't like the morality of bands like La Roux not getting more recognition. Put your crappy Adam Lambert CD down and pick up this gem. With an even selection of thought provoking ballads like "Colourless Colour" and "I'm Not Your Toy" and loud brain drilling hits like the previously mentioned "Tigerlily" and "In For The Kill." La Roux's synth-happy CD will have you humming their tunes by the end of the day. The best two-piece band to enter your ear canal since you first heard The Kills, La Roux will rattle your listening device right off it's platform or tightly gripped hand.

The XX

Written By: Steve Sawyer

Listening to The XX's debut, eponymous, album should be considered substance abuse. And not for any negative consequence that listening to the album may bring, but rather because the music leaves the listener in such a state of euphoria that it's absolutely drug-like. The music has induced such a deep state of unshakable catatonia upon myself that I find I'm unable to escape the rhythmic bass lines, or the haunting echoes of the intricate, and absolutely chilling vocal work. It's so perfect, that it kind of bothers me.

Take for example the opening of the album itself. The drone of sound that hits you is tonal hypnotherapy pure and simple, and it could be said that within the first minute, if you aren't hooked you may be one of the few immune to the drug. But for me, and for what I suspect will be the rest of the population, there was an immediate addiction formed. It's funny how I didn't even notice the song "VCR" creep up on me after the intro, it's delicate chiming, and soft snare almost lullabied me away. And when Romy's voice hits, it's absolutely out of this world, it hasn't been since I first heard Maynard James Keenan's voice on a Tool album that I've been so simultaneously creeped out, and breathtaken. "Crystalised" is as close to a perfect rock song you could get. It's minimalistic brooding approach, and it's refusal to do anything but get under your skin as quickly as possible is captivating in a very terrifying way. By the time the album gets to "Shelter" I'm just absolutely awash in the ocean of sound.

The album is a truly inspired collection of songs that encapsulate the experience of living in the modern age. It's strange, but I feel like the music is the perfect soundtrack to the almost cynical society we've created for ourselves. The lyrics are self-deprecating enough to make the music not only relatable, but downright essential. But at no point do they ever loom ideas over your head, or make you stretch for meaning intended or implied. And that radically stripped down approach has made for the single best release of 2009. More prominent bands that keep adding more gloss, sound, and production magic to their equation should take note of the work that's on display on the album. I have a feeling that even older groups that have the advantage of years over the relatively new The XX will learn quite a few things about songwriting after submitting themselves to repeat listens.

And it's all made that much more perplexing by the fact that they're all only nineteen years old. Not only that, but this is the band's debut. No albums precede this one, and yet they display a level of maturity, and depth that most bands strive to achieve in an entire career. It's so startling to see such young talent being able to accomplish so much with just one release, but they've managed to do it. But what happens when a band is this good this immediately? Have they set the bar impossibly high for themselves, or will they simply make it look easy, when it's time for the next go around? I'm certainly rooting for them, and hoping that they can pull it off, because if this album is any indicator of their future career, the world is going to be their oyster.

It's odd, I typically wax verbally, and semi-philosophically when it comes to talking about music that I love, and for the first time in a very long time, I'm almost completely at a loss for words. I feel like I've said everything that's needed to say about The XX in order for someone to just dive in and enjoy them, but at the same time simply because I'm used to being so wordy, and full of praise for those that I admire, I'm hesitant to draw this to a close. But I'm going to take my own advice, and learn from the example set by The XX. Sometimes simplicity is better. Go buy their album.

Two Nights of The Used

Written By: Jim Markunas (Editor-In-Chief) and
Jason Coldiron (Rock/Metal Editor)

Photos By: Brett Gulbrandson

View all of Brett's photos of The Used here.

Jim: First off... Opening bands... I'm a huge fan of Drive A; they're punk, catchy and a great choice for an opening act. (check out our review of their debut) The Almost... Yeah, their music was really good, but did their pants have to be so fucking tight? Seriously? I haven't seen that much blatant cock in my face since the last time my friend Paul took me to West Hollywood. I would have given The Almost an A-, but their horrid sense of fashion knocked them down to a C- or D+.

The Used were hella cool. They had what I can only describe as the cleanest and most well-organized stage set up in Rock 'n' Roll history. The drums were on a wide square riser that lit up, the amps were the embodiment of perfect symmetrical aesthetic, and the stage was left pretty much bare except for a few half-stacks piled on either side of the drums. The band ended up looking tiny compared to the massive/well-organized stage, but it allowed them a lot of room to move around, which Burt McKracken did with the greatest of ease. Before The Used even walked on stage, a piano intro was played through the house PA and a quick movie was projected across an arena-sized backdrop. This set the stage for one of the greatest rock shows of this month (and I've been to a lot of shows this month). As the band casually strolled on stage, the backdrop changed from a movie to a giant syringe with "The Used" over it. Skipping ahead a little bit, the best thing about the backdrop was that it changed graphics digitally throughout their set. Very cool!

Jason: The following night, the Used moved up the coast to play the Warfield in San Francisco. Chicks with Guns was there as well.

Getting a late start, Drive A took the stage. They were very young, but very mature and poised for their age(s). They seemed to understand their role in this show perfectly. They were there to get the crowd woken up and moving a bit, light a fire and set the stage for The Almost and The Used. The lead singer was great in interacting with the crowd. The band got things going in the right direction. Their punk sound was a perfect lead in to the rest of the sounds of the night.

The Almost was next to hit the stage. My female friend loved them. Their music didn't really fit their look at all. They rocked though. Their set was great until the end, at which point the lead singer killed the momentum and ended it on a poor note. The last song they played was their big ballad. The song wasn't bad at all, but it should have been played earlier in the set. The singer followed this ballad up by preaching to the audience about God and how He loves us all.

Jim: I HATE shit like that!!!!! Flyleaf can get away with this kind of thing because their singer is pretty and talented. I’m not sure I’d want to hear football player-wannabe’s with guitars wax poetically on that type of thing at all. God and politics belong at home; shows are meant for rocking… Also, Jason, were their pants any less tight when you saw them. Once again… too much cock in the face!!!!!!

Jason: It's hard to give a definitive answer on the cock in face issue, due to the lighting in the arena. That said, it was clearly more than any reasonable fan would expect or want from their metal show. Granted, this band is his side project to the Christian rock band he is the drummer in. Granted, he said that if you aren't down with God, that is fine, we can all still get along, etc. That wasn't enough. It was poorly timed. Following the ballad with this just didn't work. If he was going to insist on preaching, he should have done it between songs earlier in their set. Not to mention that it was crucial they end their set with a big, heavy song to lead into The Used. This was a poorly conceived ending to their set. Thankfully, The Used were up next and would soon make us all forget about this.

As with the previous night, the Used began with a short film with a piano intro playing. This built the tension and energy in the building to a peak and had the crowd dying for the band to hit the stage. When they finally did, it was on! The band quickly jumped into, “Blood on my Hands” from their latest record, Artwork and knocked it out of the park. They let loose for the next hour-and-a-half and blew the roof off of the Warfield.

They played a great mix of newer and older songs in their catalog. At one point they played four consecutive older songs, including “In love and death,” without stopping between them at all. This was a kind of medley of sorts. It was fantastic. The stage show was amazing. They really utilized the lighting of the arena perfectly. The lights and darks, with shadows, half lit faces and a sense of mystery and awe all worked beautifully. This was one of the best shows I've seen in a long time. They closed the set with and encore of, “On my own,” followed by one more rocking tune to end the night. Their rendition of, “On my own” was arguably the highlight of the entire night. It brought the house down and is the single moment I'll remember most from this show.

The Used brought it big time on this night. I was blown away. I have to admit that before this show I was a fan, but not a fanatic. After this, I'll be buying their albums and singing their praise. They won me over in a big way.

Jim: Ok… But… What was it like to hang out with the guys back stage? Were there antics, drinking, etc.? Did you score with groupies? Did you see The Almost in their underwear (I’m assuming they wore ‘whitey-tighties?’) Inquiring minds want to know!

Jason: Well, technically, we only met Quinn and a few random venue employees back stage. However, on the way in while we were waiting out back to get in for the interview, Bert walked by as he was talking with some of his people. Brett (my photographer, who is a HUGE Used fan) took the opportunity to say hello, shake his hand and tell him what a huge impact he had made on him. A funny thing about this is that there were a couple of hundred fans out front waiting to get in. Meanwhile, Bert and his people were casually hanging out around the side of the building where the buses were, smoking and drinking like there was no care in the world. There was hardly any security there. Any fan who had walked just 20 feet or so down the street would have seen the buses and the band and been able to walk right up to them.

If only they had known how easy it would have been...

Want More of The Used?
CWG review of Artwork
CWG Review of Loss Of Desire
View all of Brett's photos of The Used
Rock/Metal Editor, Jason Coldiron interviews Dan of The Used
Rock/Metal Editor, Jason Coldiron interviews Quinn of The Used

10 Reasons Why Everclear Is Still Relevant

Written By: Jim Markunas
(Editor-In-Chief)

Photos By: Ed Hannigan

View all of Ed’s Everclear photos here.

10. Art Is Cool - He is, isn’t he? Yes! At 47, Art’s still got it, a rarity in a world of Fleetwood Mac and Eagles reunions that never seem to end when they should. Significantly less gay than Joe Perry, and more fun to watch than Frank Black, Everclear frontman, Art Alexakis makes this band what it is. The world loves a good frontman, and Art is one of the best – Take that Don Henley, you big ass!

9. Work Ethic - Everclear has never been a lazy band. They’ve toured incessantly since 1994, and aren’t afraid to start from scratch. Capitol drops them… Who cares? Band mates leave… no problem! Art is a working man, and much like B.B. King, he’ll be doing this until the day he dies.

8. They Treat Their Fans Well - Even when they were the biggest band in the world, Everclear always (and still do) made an effort to meet their fans after every show. In their arena days, they even went as far as letting some fans strap on a guitar and play with them. I managed to catch Art Alexakis on his “All By Mice-Elf” solo acoustic tour in 2003, and he actually brought audience members on stage to play various instruments. This quality is priceless - in a world of “we must treat our idols like they jump into their pants in the morning,” Art and Everclear remind us that they put their pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us.

7. Street Cred - Most rock bands, musicians, and rappers get soft in their old age. Can I believe Dr. Dre is still shooting people and running drugs out of his mansion and cushy office at Interscope? Do I believe Bruce Springsteen is still a ‘working man’ suffering through poverty and bad economic times just like the rest of us? Fuck no! These old guys are major paid… and soft! Artists like this have forgotten what hardship feels like. Art, on the other hand, can never catch a break. Yes… This sucks for him, but is great for Everclear fans, as Art never runs out of painful shit to put on wax! In 1995, Art frequently wrote songs about loss, being poor and drug addiction (stuff he really experienced). In 2009, he’s writing about divorce, being poor once again, and more loss (again, things that he’s REALLY experiencing). “Volvo Driving Soccer Mom” aside, you’ll never catch Art over-using his artistic license for the sake of staying credible – he’s 100% real.

6. The Hank Williams Syndrome… Or… What’s Bad For Everclear Is Good For American Music - Once you see what’s happened to Art in his life, suddenly your problems don’t seem all that bad. Yes… Art has had a hard life (like a Hank Williams song on steroids), and he can’t seem to stop living a hard life. Because of this, Everclear will always be the “underdog,” the band we root for. We want to see Everclear succeed, because if they can make their lives and career work despite all the fuck-ups, we everyday folk feel like we can succeed and make our lives work. Remember, if Everclear wins, we all win!

5. There’s Still Demand - The Roxy was damn-near sold out last Thursday (see our review). People still want to see a band with a track record play live. Can you assume that bands like Papa Roach, Everclear, Dinosaur Jr., The Foo Fighters, etc. will always put on a good show? I’d say it’s a safe assumption. Everclear has a proven track record, and it hold more weight than the next indie/L.A. flavor of the month.

4. They Change Just Enough - Critics have busted Everclear’s balls for years on the notion that they sound the same on every album. Yes… Everclear will always sound like Everclear… How is this a bad thing? Someone please explain that to me! When I buy an Everclear album, I expect it to be consistent. Would I like it if Art put out a speed-metal album? Would I like it if he crossed the bullshit, overrated stylings of Sigur Rós with the whininess of Fallout Boy? Fuck no, I wouldn’t!!!! However, Everclear changes just enough from record-to-record to sound fresh. Were American Movie 1 & 2 re-hashes of So Much For The Afterglow? No! They were different enough to be great, just as Welcome To The Drama Club is different from Slow Motion Daydream . Basically, we expect Everclear to sound like Everclear; I wouldn’t bust Paul McCartney’s balls for sounding like Paul McCartney, would I?

3. The Nirvana Syndrome… Or… Disenfranchised Youth - As long as high school, depression, and teenage angst/ennui exist, Everclear will have fans. People need music that makes them feel better about the shitty parts of life – Everclear is the perfect music for that.

2. Hooks - Everclear is catchy. Enough said.

1. Everclear’s Music is Timeless – Yes, they have the habit of sometimes sounding a little bit like they walked right out of the 1970s bar scene, but you can’t beat the tried-and-true pop/gunge/alt formula of verse, chorus, verse, bridge, etc., and you can’t beat the catchiness of almost any Everclear song or album. Radio-friendly without being wussy and uninventive, the entire Everclear catalog (with the exception of World Of Noise ) will never sound ‘dated’ – Art planned for this (he’s the principle songwriter and producer of every Everclear album), and judging by Everclear’s pop sensibility, his plan seems to have worked. I just hope he get’s his publishing rights back sometime in the near future.


Want more Everclear?
Download Everclear’s "Here Comes The Darkness"
Everclear Feature - 10 Reasons Why Everclear is Still Relevant
Rock/Metal Editor, Jason Coldiron interviews Art Alexakis
Everclear Tour News
View all of Ed’s Everclear Photos (Roxy)
View All of Ed’s Everclear Photos (House of Blues)
CWG's review of In A Different Light

Rock Out With Nico Vega

Written By: Khadeeja Coonrod
Photos By: Ed Hannigan

View all of Ed's Nico Vega photos here.

What do you get when you take a hard hitting rock band that's full of three talented musicians? A whole lot of sound that should be thought to have ten people making music. This L.A. American rock band is Nico Vega, who knows how to turn up the volume. Nico Vega formed in 2005 and has a self-titled album out on Myspace Records, which had Linda Perry and Tim Edgar on production and Tchad Blake mixing.

The album starts with "Burn Burn," and the lyrics are telling, "Even if we tell a lie nobody's gonna know until we fall back, fall back. Even though we're so sharp. Even if we tell a lie nobody's gonna know until we fall back, fall back. I built this house on solid ground. Will you come and stay with me? I'll settle down." The guitar riffs speed up and go with the flow of Aja's voice who echos behind in the background. The chorus repeats at the end with both the guitar and drums until they all suddenly all go off in unison. The guitar and drum intro set the album nicely in until you hear the singers voice who is in between singing and wailing but in a beautiful rhythm.

"Million Years" reminds of a song that would be heard in a video game with guns. "I'll be around for a million years. No matter how hard you try you can't fuck with this," a statement about a female being mad after a man tries to play her. The music gets a satanic sound in the background after the flirt lines are revealed.

"So So Fresh" is as if there's a teasing going on, "You're so so fresh even when you drop it, you turn like a man. I know you're just a boy but I can hardly tell and no one I really can." Aja's voice backgrounds sounds like a chant as her voice teases saying "Na na na na na na na."

"Living Underground" puts me in the mood to watch a Children of the Corn flick, "We are in demand of the truth. We are children of the world. We wear all of our scars. We stand up and we fight for what we choose. We are in demand of a name." Aja's voice sings in a soft soothing while the guitar and drums come out in an 80's rock form then Aja's voice comes out in a snarl as she belts out the song then the guitar and her voice blend together to go from soft like a whisper, builds up louder, and it ends in a trance like state.

"Wooden Dolls" comes with the soft overtones in this. I could hear Linda Perry's influence on this one as I thought of 4 Non Blondes, What's Up. The voice was simple as all the theatrics were stripped away. Aja's voice was singing like a mother sings to a child. Her voice cuts to the core of the spirit and gets strong only to go back to being soft once again.

"Iron Man" is my personal favorite by Nico Vega. "You are relentless in the way you ask me so many questions of my days in the city. I wish that I could tell you something. I'm a hostage of my pride. I'll take all the heat you're packing. 'Cause I'm an iron man. I'm an iron man. You are relentless in the way that you know me and I'm a sheep when it comes to explaining. I wish that I could keep you happy. I wish that I can could keep you young. Please forgive me for the distance, but I'm an iron man. I'm an iron man. You are relentless in the way that you love me and I'm afraid of the thoughts that you're making. I wish that I could know the difference between your smiles and your frowns. Now I'm buried in the armor 'cause I'm an iron man. I'm an iron man." The mood is a touch of space meets heaven on earth in a labyrinth setting.

On Nico Vega's Myspace, under influences, this was said, "Any sort of passion, fire, or interaction between two people, or many people. Any person who has the will to lead people and sacrifice their own needs for the well being of others. Any warrior with a purpose, or a mission, and any artist who is not scared to be great. Anybody that decides to forgive themselves for the mistakes that they have made, and change for the better. We have a lot of musical influences, probably similar to the ones that you like. Oh...and, anybody who is a Lion at heart (support the pack, and be strong without judgement)." I was struck by how genuine the words are. I had to share that with anyone who didn't know about them before reading this.

Nico Vega's band members are: Aja- Singer, Rich- Guitar, Dan- Drums.

Vampires!

Written By: Hallie Madenski

As the time inches closer and closer to the day the new "Twilight" movie is released, fans become more and more hungry for pale brooding guys with elongated hair. Though the vampire craze seems strongest now, society has always been fascinated with vampires. Perhaps because they are a monster that is actually human and could appear sexy in that "you might die but it will feel good first" type of way. The association that vampires feed or kill during sex is another alluring aspect to various desperate homemakers and young people with their inability to control hormones.

After the recent appearance of the show "The Vampire Diaries," and movies like "The Vampire's Assistant," and of course the raging boner that is the Twilight franchise, I tend to wonder when it will end. Like I said before, society has always been obscenely fascinated with vampires. Early films like "Nosferatu" and "Dracula" sparked interest and were deemed classics. Especially "Dracula," featuring the now deceased Bela Lugosi. Bela Lugosi's swift suave movement and bulging eyes brought a unique aspect to the vampire image, one altogether different from the one we see today. Bela Lugosi could incite fear with a simple twist of the hand, one clawed gesture, and a deep penetrating stare with his slicked back hair and protruding lips. Though he did have a hypnotizing charm, he was more the image of a father than of a sexy man you'd want ravishing you.

This new wave of vampires makes you wonder, which is more enjoyable? The older frightening and primal vampires or this generation's Bill Compton or Edward Cullen of Trueblood and Twilight fame. Clearly we know who is more frightening, the earlier movies incited fear where today's might seem thrilling to some, the actual origin is left relatively untouched and romance is largely magnified. Certainly Hollywood and the population's majority are set on bringing us more sex, not only with vampires but with everything. I'm always surprised by how sexual everything in America appears while the overall attitude is mostly that of a tattered old prude. I'm still waiting on a show or movie that depicts vampires as brutal instinctual animals who could never be a friend to any human. I guess that was "30 Days of Night" but still, let's get noticed.

Aside from the countless vampire movies and TV shows made, there are actually a lot of songs inspired by those mysterious undead Romanians. Concrete Blonde's "Bloodletting" (The Vampire Song) was inspired by the Anne Rice novel "Interview With The Vampire." The soundtrack for "Queen of the Damned" was partially written by former Oingo Boingo keyboardist Richard Gibbs and Jonathan Davis of Korn. In an unusual teaming up of sister labels Warner Brothers and Reprise Records released the soundtrack on February 19th of 2002. Two singles from the CD were released simultaneously. "Cold" by Static X was the more successful single of the two, the other being "Forsaken," featuring the lead singer of Disturbed.

We all know the band Vampire Weekend with their lively tunes and smart lyrics. The band's name comes from a film their lead singer made with the same title. Hopefully it's about vampires but with my questionable journalism skills I am unable to dig up any footage or information about this film other than the title. Punk band Bauhaus has a meaningful origin in the bloodsucking spirit. Their first single, released in 1979, was titled "Bela Lugosi's Dead." The song is a lengthy epic recorded in one take featuring the lyrics "Bela Lugosi's dead, the bats have left the bell tower, the victims have been bled." And later the line "undead undead undead" in repetition.

Godsmack, Slayer and My Chemical Romance have all penned songs about vampires but certain compilations stand out over others. While the Queen of the Damned soundtrack lacked luster, others flourished in all our memories, hopefully. The TV show version of Buffy The Vampire Slayer had a great little soundtrack featuring songs by Nerf Herder, Garbage, Rasputina, and Guided by Voices. Of all vampire-related things, the soundtrack and the movie alike for "The Lost Boys" belong in the Vampire Hall of Fame. "Cry Little Sister" by Gerald Mcmann, "People Are Strange" by Echo and the Bunnymen, and "Good Times" by INXS are favorites.

In reference to the new vs. old argument, I'd like to state that I'd take Dracula over Twilight's Edward Cullen anytime. At least Dracula could entertain me. Robert Pattinson's portrayal of a boring and mopey yet handsome character remind me all too well of how easily personality is disregarded. Somehow if someone cares about you and looks good you should just bury your nose in their ass and never leave their fecal fortress? Over anything else I am perplexed and aggravated by people with nothing interesting going on. It seems where Robert Pattinson lacks a personality, his costar Kristen Stewart makes up for it. Even the whiney werewolf character Jacob is more likable in that he at least cares. Oddly, while reading Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn I even feel that author Stephanie Meyer is in some sort of trance when she writes about the character Edward. Everyone in the book is more intriguing than him but somehow he is a main focus of the series. The character is written about in little detail and is described mostly just as "beautiful." Clumsy and pessimistic protagonist Bella somehow falls for his charms and boom, they're in love and she can't part with him. At least her dad has the good sense to dislike him.

Another recent author who writes of vampires is Charlaine Harris, writer of the many books that inspired HBO's "Trueblood." While her concepts and ideas are very interesting and original her actual writing leaves a lot to be desired. I get the impression that she is a person living vicariously through her characters, maybe too much so. Her last few books in the series lacked discipline and character development, so I can only really recommend the first four books with a straight face. The show itself is actually better than the books. Though more than half of the show has nothing to do with the novels, it does follow the same basic story.

I caught a few minutes of the latest CW pooper "The Vampire Diaries" and after a few minutes I've concluded that you need not waste your time with that one. As with "Gossip Girl" and the remake of "90210" this show sifts out all the good parts of "The O.C." and filters in gaudy queens and their fumigated hair extension arm candy otherwise known as Blake Lively and that other one who tries to sing. Leighton Meester! I remember now. But I won't in a few years now will I?

While Twilight's fangs will never compete in sales with Harry Potter's wand, fans are crazier than ever. I don't envy not being able to walk down the street without cameras flashing at me. While Kristen Stewart is highly criticized for complaining of the downfalls of fame, Robert Pattinson gets nothing but sympathy when he whines about how he can't get a date in real life. Which is funny/sad since he is dating Kristen Stewart. Vampire films have been around since 1909 to now, 2009. All I can do is wait to see if the craze swells or is replaced by something new. How about something less sexy, like the always popular Wolf theme? "The Wolfman" starring Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt, looks promising but sadly the box office will surely show that vampires are still number one. Perhaps the next monster movie will star Zac Efron as Frankenstein or Brad Pitt as The Mummy? I can only encourage Hollywood to get a little ugly or "real" with these ever increasing monster movies.

5 Reasons Why After Midnight Project Is The Next Big Thing

Written By: Jim Markunas
(Editor-In-Chief)

Photos By: Ed Hannigan

View all of Ed’s AMP photos here.

I find it difficult to call After Midnight Project a “baby band,” as I saw them not only upstage Chevelle at the House of Blues in Anaheim, but also because I’m 100% convinced that AMP is the future of modern rock. I’d be willing to bet my left testicle that in 2-3 years, this band will be the biggest thing in rock music; bigger than the Chilli Peppers, bigger than Nickelback, hell – maybe even as big as U2.

Some would call their sound marginal and/or derivative, but anyone using that label (a.) hasn’t truly heard “Let’s Build Something To Break,” and (b.) has obviously never seen this band live.

In some ways, After Midnight Project are derivative, but they’re derivative in the same way as U2, The Deftones, or The Chilli Peppers are derivative; in that they’re styles and influences span a lot of familiar, yet respectively different and interesting genres. Part of what makes AMP’s music interesting (which is the same key factor that’s worked for The Deftones and U2 all these years) is that you never know just where they’ll take a song. Yes, they have pop sensibility (i.e., verse, chorus, verse, catchy vocal hooks, good guitar riffs, etc.) but… they’re exceptionally good at bending and meshing genres in a fashion that simply put… works. A great example is “Backlit Medley” this song begins with a balls-out hard rock riff, and flows seamlessly into a Jimmy Eat World/Postal Service-inspired soft-rock opus with slight hints of electronica and a manly vocals that seamlessly flow in and out of uber-feminine Brit-pop falsetto; it’s so seemless, you wouldn’t notice unless you were looking for it.

Then, there are songs like “Hollywood” that take the played-out Strokes-inspired sound and bend it into something completely new, or the twice-released single “Take Me Home” that merges aspects of Tool with aspects of Jimmy Eat World and Owl City.

Editor’s Note: I can wax poetically on this for hours, but my words can’t do this band justice, just buy “Let’s Build Something to Break,” or catch them at any live show, and you’ll realize exactly what I’m talking about.

I digress… The top 5 reasons why After Midnight Project is the next big thing:

Reason #1 – The front man must have made a ‘crossroads’ deal with the devil… or Motown (same thing) - Singer, Jason Evigan, is the hands-down best front man of this decade. He’s got swagger, charm, extreme stage presence, and most importantly, excellent vocal chops. Picture what it would sound like if Jim Adkins’ testicles dropped, or if Daniel Johns had stuck with hard rock, and you’ve got Jason – a singer with a vocal range of a few octaves (he hits falsetto as well as Thom Yorke) and has the tonal clarity of Mark McGrath.

Reason #2 - Pop sensibilities - After Midnight Project understand how to write good songs. Officially, they’re one album deep, but any die hard fan has a copy of their pre-major label EPs. In theory, AMP has two full records worth of material released over a span of about 4 years. On their EPs, they proved that they could write and produce major label-quality songs without the help of a big name producer or a $200,000 budget. At the core, AMP understands that it’s all about making quality songs.

Reason #3 - Mainstream, yet completely inventive and original - After Midnight Project play radio-friendly, mainstream rock… if mainstream rock had multiple drug problems. Their sound, on the surface, is safe, but bends and molds the modern rock genre, breaking it into pieces, and taking it in a completely different, yet logical direction. They adhere to the genre, while simultaneously crafting a style all their own. Answer this… Why do people like Owl City? People like Owl City because what they REALLY want is a new Postal Service record. Would Owl City be as popular if they didn’t sound like The Postal Service? No… They definitely wouldn’t. Same thing with Hinder… People like them because they sound like 3 Doors Down and Creed. My point is that all modern rock is actually “post modern rock,” meaning it’s all been done before, and there’s not much left to do with the genre that hasn’t already done. Some bands attempt to ‘try new things,’ but miss the mark (Interpol, Silversun Pickups, etc.). Not only is After Midnight Project original (no one sounds quite like them, and they don’t sound quite like anybody else), but they’re also masters of styles, able to merge several different genre-specific ideas into one in ways that have truly never been done before; what other band can successfully mix a speed metal opener with a Radiohead-styled verse?

Reason #4 - The Lenny Kravitz effect - In short, girls and guys can enjoy this band together. I wouldn’t want my girl to catch me listening to Avril Lavigne, and I wouldn’t want to catch her listening to Pantera; there’s an un-written rule: guys listen to guys music, girls listen to girl’s music. After Midnight Project, much like U2 and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, is the kind of band men and women can both listen to without shame and/or violating any un-written rules.

Reason #5 - Work ethic and values - After Midnight Project is permanently on tour. They’re willing not only to tour incessantly, but they take every opportunity to meet with their fans - Every show ends with the band signing autographs and meeting fans at their merch booth (for the sheer talent they possess, they’re an unabashedly humble and down-to-earth group of people). Since their inception, After Midnight Project have been all about their fans, and even have a special phone number for their fans to call and bug them. (P.S. They return every phone call they receive.) This type of approach, which is completely genuine, has worked for other bands in the past (Everclear, Deftones, etc.), and it works especially well for After Midnight Project, who pride themselves on their accessibility.

No disrespect to Chevelle they were great too!!!

Other AMP Articles:
Review of “Let’s Build Something To Break”
Interview With Jason Evigan