Tuesday Tunes: Weezer (Red Album)

To make sure I update this at least once a week, here is the first installation of Tuesday Tunes! Normally, I’ll try and cover a new release but since no new release today really caught my eye, today’s album is Weezer (Red Album). (Although if you really like hip hop, I gave the new N.E.R.D. album a quick listen and it’s not too shabby!)

If you didn’t fall in love with Weezer’s first self-titled album (the Blue Album) with such classics as “Say It Ain’t So” and “The Sweater Song” then try again. That CD made its home in my giant CD Walkman in junior high and is still one of my all-time favorites. However, no other Weezer album has been able to win me over completely (as I sometimes cringe when I listen to “Beverly Hills”).

But! Enter Weezer’s third self-titled album! I read somewhere that this was going to be a very experimental album but for the most part, it is the Weezer I first came to know and love. The album kicks off with “Troublemaker” which fittingly sets a “I do what I want!” theme. The best song to portray this theme is “Pork and Beans,” their first single. This song is not complete until you have watched the music video. And if you’re a fan of viral youtube videos, there should be some familiar faces making cameo appearances.

Rivers Cuomo actually takes a break during some songs and lets others take the lead vocal position. Those songs were probably my least favorite but still had a little Weezer flavor. All in all, old school Weezer fans should not be disappointed with their sixth full-length release.

Top three songs to check out: “Everybody Get Dangerous,” “Troublemaker,” and “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived.”

American Idol: Season 7 Ponies.

Thankfully, this season has no Sanjayas or Taylor Hicks. After watching the top 24, here are my predictions (or maybe more of my wishful thinking):

MALES:

Michael Johns - He’s had strong performances throughout the competition so far. I rolled my eyes when he picked “Bohemian Rhapsody” a week ago, but he ended up totally impressing me. The “white, soul singer” should make it to the top five as he’s got the charming Aussie look and the authentic, powerful voice. (youtube - “Bohemian Rhapsody”)

David Archuleta - Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve got a weird “he’s like eight years younger than me, but he’s totally cute omigosh” thing for him, but I assure you there’s more reasons to keep him around. He’s just 17, having gone through vocal problems, only to come back like nothing happened. His voice sounds quite mature for 17 plus his humbleness and megawatt smile make me want to root for this young’un. (youtube - “Heaven”)

Notable Contestants: David Cook is decent, but a bit too close to Michael Johns and Michael has the edge. We’ll see if he “rocks it out” a bit more. Danny Noriega is a strange one. After his first audition, Paula was astounded that his voice belonged to him because after all, “you know who you are.” I think what she meant is that for a feminine guy (okay, so he’s presumably gay), he’s got a very strong man voice. I second Paula’s sentiments. Although the voice doesn’t fit the body, he should be sticking around for awhile.

FEMALES:

Syesha Mercado - Did anybody catch that she lost her voice but managed to belt out “Chain of Fools” last week? Um, and how adorable was it that she made little posters instead of talking? No doubt, she has the best vocals out of all the contestants. Yes, that’s what I said. (youtube - “Chain of Fools”)

Alaina Whitaker - Randy pointed it out, this is a season full of awesome young’uns. She had one of the best performances in the top 24 and she’s only 16 with no professional voice training??? Plus, she’s got the look. Talent + eye candy = force to be reckoned with. Hopefully, her age and inexperience doesn’t doom her too early. (youtube - “Stronger”)

Notable Contestants: I know, you’re surprised I’m not totally rooting for my fellow Filipina, Ramiele Malubay. She’s good, but there’s something about her that I can’t back up. Kady Malloy started off strong, but I’m not so sure after her top 24 performance. She’s definitely marketable though and it depends largely on if she ends up building up confidence or allowing the judges to remind her that her Britney impersonations are better.

I think there is definitely tough competition with the girls and I’d list more of them, but then I’d end up listing almost all of them. With all the talent learning towards the girls, I’d be super surprised if a girl doesn’t win American Idol. Unless Michael Johns takes it all!

Concert recap: The Bravery w/Switches, Your Vegas, and Electric Touch.

I’ve been a fan of The Bravery since their self-titled album dropped in 2005, strangely drawn to their disco beats and synth sound. They definitely helped open the doors to my increasingly acquired taste of “electro-indie” rock. And let’s face it, it makes you want to dance. Or at least nod your head and tap your toes.

I saw The Bravery when they opened for Incubus a few months ago at the Smirnoff Center - in fact, they were the main reason I forked over the cash. Unfortunately, the huge venue ate them up and I was unable to really experience the high octane show I knew they were throwing. So, although my income is lacking nowadays, I decided to go ahead and splurge and experience The Bravery at the Granada Theater.

An ex-coworker, Matt, and I headed to the venue after dinner. We took a few accidental detours, so we actually missed the first band, Austin’s own Electric Touch. I checked their myspace before the show and really dug their song, “Breakdown.” I’ll have to catch them next they hit Dallas.

The next band was from the UK called Your Vegas. Unfortunately, the singer Coyle Girelli was down with the flu. However! The trooper went on with the show anyway! His voice was obvious shot when he spoke in between songs, but wasn’t too bad while singing. I think this held the band back a bit, but it was still a good set. In fact, I just purchased their three song EP, A Town and Two Cities for only 99 cents from iTunes. It’s almost a steal. Since I had only listened to their myspace tunes, I was caught off guard by their ballad, “The Way the War Was Won.” This actually blew me away so I am glad it is part of the EP I bought. (It made me forget how ridiculous their hair was, ha ha.)

The opening acts concluded with Switches, another band from the UK. Before the show, I actually jammed out to their myspace page for an hour. They totally delivered and I really loved the 3- and 4-part harmonies they pulled off. I could tell the crowd, although unfamiliar with their songs, enjoyed it as well as their bobbed up and down more excitedly. I ended up buying their three song EP, Drama Queen, at the show. It was $3 and Thom, their new bassist, signed it. We had a brief talk about Shiner Bock and “when in Rome.” Admittingly, I’m glad he signed it so I won’t forget the grin he had during the show and how much fun they were having. Their full-length album doesn’t drop ’til the end of March, but definitely check out their myspace and listen to “Lay Down the Law” and “Drama Queen.” I have never enjoyed opening acts as much as I did this night and hope to see Your Vegas and Switches do well in the future.

The theater was definitely crammed packed suddenly when The Bravery took stage. As soon as the first song dropped, I was instantly glad that I splurged to attend this show. Definitely worth seeing this band in a smaller venue. They played old favorites, like “Public Service Announcement” and “Swollen Summer” as well as new hits, “Believe” and “Time Won’t Let Me Go.” They announced they were “remixing” a few old songs which I think meant “speed it up and add a bit more rock.” I enjoyed the new versions for “Tyrant” and “The Ocean” though and look forward to the “new” album, “The Sun and Moon Complete.”

All in all, one of the most raw and energetic shows I’ve seen in a long time and definitely worth my $18!

Get to work!

Thanks to my buddy Jody, I have a website redesign to work on in hopes of bringing in some dough and killing some time. It’s freezing outside and I am running out of video on demand to watch, so it’s the perfect stay-at-home-and-work environment. I’ve also been in a creative mood lately, so I think it’s all very win-win.

To keep me company, I’ve been listening to my Pandora stations all day long. Then, I remembered reading something about being able to combine Pandora and last.fm and I found this: http://pandorafm.real-ity.com. Its logs all the songs I’ve listened to on Pandora into last.fm. So, if I get bored with Pandora, I can switch over to my last.fm stations and have even more random songs to listen to. What I’m trying to say is, if you hear me complain about not having any new music to listen to, you can punch me in the face.

If you have an account with either, add me and say hello!
Pandora: http://www.pandora.com/people/nchantan
last.fm: http://www.last.fm/user/theneener

*Note: If you use the Pandora/last.fm mashup, make sure you log in with the correct last.fm username and password. I put in the wrong info and although the mashup would say it submitted songs, it never did. When I did refresh and log in with the right info, voila! It works!

Explosions in the Sky…

…is such good stuff. Fell in love with their music when I watched Friday Night Lights the movie. It’s because of them that I never fast forward through the opening credits of Friday Night Lights the television show. I usually indulge in Explosions in the Sky while reading, studying, and writing because there are no words, just moving music. Their live show I checked out last year was pretty intense as well.

I’ll type up my 2007 music list sometime soon. ‘Til then, if you need some lyric-free music to listen to, check out Explosion in the Sky’s “So Long, Lonesome,” “Your Hand in Mine,” and “What Do You Go Home To?” And if not, at least check out Friday Night Lights this Friday night at 8 P.M. CST on NBC.