Coheed and Cambria

I have a message for Coheed & Cambria: Relax. It’s just music.

A good friend of mine sent me some C&C songs yesterday and I promptly loaded them into the library, promising him I’d give Coheed & Cambria the old college try. I’ve been listening to the songs since, and I’ve developed some mixed feelings.

First off, I like the music. I enjoy listening to it. It’s emotional, it’s raw and you can easily get lost in it.

I’m a big fan of Welcome Home and Everything Evil, and others such as Delirium Trigger and Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow) are close behind.

But after you listen for a while you start to notice something about C&C: This music is not your typical superficial stuff. It’s heavy—meaty. If this music were food it would be The Bacon Explosion. It sits with you for days and days.

And for that reason, C&C makes me a little nervous. I mean, go back and take a look at some of those song titles. These are deep, dark songs and when you listen to them you almost have to do so in a cave to get the full effect. It’s not exactly background music. It takes center stage, and you have to invest yourself in it.

Fitting, I suppose, since Coheed & Cambria’s music tells one long, epic story. All the songs and albums are intertwined. They even have comic books dedicated to the band’s music.

Yes, comic books. Another red flag.

I don’t know… Like I said, I like the music. I enjoy banging my head and losing myself in the story, but deep down I get the impression that by listening to this music I am getting one step closer to buying Japanese Anime, locking myself in my room and cutting my arms when I get bored.

So to sum up, C&C is good, but if you're just a casual listener you might want to steer your boat in another direction. I can see why they have such a devoted following, but in the end they just need to take a deep breath and lighten up.

Give Up: An essential for your collection

There are a handful of albums everyone needs to have in their collection: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles, Metallica's Black Album, Under The Table And Dreaming by DMB and others.

This recommendation might surprise you, though.

I submit to you that Give Up, and album by The Postal Service, is one of those essentials. It's just that good, and it's the best intro to the Indie genre you'll find.

The Postal Service is a collaboration between Ben Gibbard, lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie, and producer Jimmy Tambello, who works mostly with electronic beat bands. They laid down beats and vocals independently and sent tracks back and forth between each other using the United States Postal Service (hence the name).

The result was the groundbreaking album "Give Up" which combines Gibbard's powerful voice with Tambello's talent of taking any noise, even sound effects from classic video games, and turning it into a strong rhythm. Give Up is electronic and soulful.

The album starts strong with "District Sleeps Alone Tonight," "Such Great Heights," "Sleeping In," and "Nothing Better." The first four songs really pull you in.

Give Up loses a little steam with "Recycled Air," but then delivers another great song in "We Will Become Silhouettes." The final song, Natural Anthem, teases the listener with an extra long introduction and then closes the album with another strong vocal.

The sound is fantastic. I love this album, and I highly recommend adding Give Up to your library as soon as is humanly possible.

Review: A Decade of Steely Dan

Have you ever bought an album not because you like the artist but because you should like them?

I don't know much about Steely Dan. I only knew one of their songs prior to this purchase, yet I felt strangely compelled to buy "A Decade of Steely Dan." I didn't ask questions, I just followed my instincts and closed the deal.

They seem like a solid band, right?

Now, two weeks later I've concluded that I made one of the best decisions of the month.

"A Decade of Steely Dan" is just dynamite. It's smooth, it's catchy and it's just a pleasure to listen to.

My favorites are: My Old School, Reelin' in the Years, Deacon Blues, FM...

Actually, every single song is awesome.

I say this, however, knowing full well that some people will buy this album and absolutely hate it. It's not your typical sound. Steely Dan has a smooth, jazz-like feel. It's finger-snapping music to be sure, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Personally, I loved it. I knew I would.

Album Review: Day & Age

I did it. I finally cracked open my new Killers CD (Day & Age) and gave it a listen.

Yes, yes, it’s been a while since I actually bought the CD, but how can I be expected to listen to an actual CD in the age of iPods?

Anyway, I’m happy to report that it’s on the iPod—cover art and everything—and now Day & Age is in regular rotation.

My verdict? Excellent album. After three times completely through, I have come to the conclusion that this was a solid purchase.

It’s a very different sound for the Killers, and I think that’s why I like it. I have both of their previous albums and I’ve been a big fan so far. But judging by Hot Fuss (The Killers’ debut album), their follow-up Sam’s Town and now Day & Age, The Killers are definitely not limiting themselves to a specific sound. They’re all over the place, and I like it.

For example: One track, I Can’t Stay, sounds very mellow—almost cabana-like. It’s very cool, but fans of the higher energy fare like Mr. Brightside will probably be a little surprised. Maybe even disappointed.

My favorite tracks on the album so far are Losing Touch, Joy Ride, A Dustland Fairytale and Neon Tiger. But really there’s not a bad song in the lot.

I didn’t even mention Human or Spaceman (mostly because they’re both pretty popular anyway). Both are just awesome.

So if you loved Hot Fuss… I really don’t know if you’ll like Day & Age. Like I said, it’s different.

If you love good music though, I’m sure Day & Age will be right up your alley.